


And it was all for me

by Phylix



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Broken men, Canon Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Study, Comfort, Feels, Fluff, Hanzo is a snarky bitch, M/M, Masterbation, Overwatch Agents are messed up people, Panic Attack, Pining, Romance, Slow Burn, Smut, other tags later, relationships, relationships of all kind are hard, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-10-17 13:13:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 62,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10594743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phylix/pseuds/Phylix
Summary: Overwatch needs it's heroes back. Jesse McCree has not needed anyone or anything except himself.  At least that is what he tells himself. And furthermore, he is totally not into that cold, aloof, ronin, Hanzo. Nope. Not one little bit.





	1. I forgot to remember to forget

**Author's Note:**

> I made myself a promise  
> That I'd soon forget we ever met.  
> But something sure is wrong,  
> 'Cause I'm so blue and lonely.  
> I forgot to remember to forget.

4:23.

The red illumination of the angry alarm bore into Jesse’s eyes. Even behind closed eyes, it was far too bright. The third day in a row the damn clock refused to let him rest.

With a loud growl of displeasure, Jesse flipped sides, facing the wall rather than the room. He could faintly make out his large silhouette, highlighted in angry red against the dark wall. Everything was institutional here. The color of the room. The tiled linoleum flooring. Even the metal window blinds that snapped as they dropped down the window. Winston assured all the recalled agents that this would be temporary.

That was five months ago.

Lena had been the first to return. It seemed obvious, she was closest to the big lug. She was followed by Genji, who promptly left again to take care of what he called “unfinished business”. Angie appeared with enough luggage to fully restock her lab. She also came with news of potential new recruits and roped off five more rooms.Torb and Reinhart came sometime in the next month. Jesse was, technically, the last of the old watch to reappear. Genji returned after Jesse, but he had laid claim to no less than three rooms before departing. Being the last, Jesse McCree ended up getting the last pick of the available dorms. Apparently, he was lucky to get the only one with a demon clock that refused to let him sleep!

Jesse huffed and flopped onto his back. He looked over at the clock. 4:29. Goddamnit.

He sat up and kicked the blankets over him to the floor as he threw his legs over the bed. “Fuck it,” He cursed at the morning. “I’m up.” He grabbed a half drunk beer off the mini fridge by his bed and quickly finished it off, throwing the empty can into the corner, where his trash can sat, overfilled. Trash was on Wednesdays. He would be sure this week to clean it out.

Jesse shuffled across the floor, kicking dirty clothes out his designated path to the toilet. First, he would piss. Then he would go smoke, seek out beer, try and drink himself asleep.

His hand groped for the light and he groaned as the fluorescent light beamed to life. It was a quick shuffle to arrange himself at the toilet. He leaned his forehead against the tile and closed his eyes as he fiddled with his boxers, pulling out his dick and relieving his bladder. The tile was cool against his forehead.

Jesse walked with more confidence back into the main room and grabbed clothes out of the clean pile and headed into the dark morning. The blinds on his window were up. There was a haze on the horizon, signaling the sun would be up soon. He gave a rude hand gesture at the window. There had to be a case of beer in the rec room. There was always beer in there. He made a left and made his way down the empty corridor.

That was the other thing about picking a room last. It was not surprising that his quarters were placed here. It was a central location to everything the base had to offer. It also meant there was heavy traffic when people were up and about. Jesse didn’t mind that though. Being in the center of the group eased his mind. He was a social creature by nature. The only issue was, at night the rest of the team was split apart. Genji requested a room near the sea, for meditation purposes. Angie’s room was near his, as far as Jesse could tell. He was not sure if the situation was because of her constant worry over the cyborg ninja, or if it was something deeper.

The other room near Genji was reserved for his mentor. Mccree was introduced to him nearly a month ago when the Shambali monk floated in with his fortune cookie sayings. Zenyatta was just the first of the new recruits to roll in. A gaming pro from Korea came next, followed by freedom fighter from Brazil.

All of them asleep at this ungodly hour. Jesse grumbled and stomped down the stairs, letting his boots hit the concrete hard, causing his spurs to jingle loudly. He mildly hoped that Winston was in his office. He would feel better knowing he was not the only one miserable at this time. Genji was a cyborg...did he sleep now?

In that case, did Zenyatta ever sleep?

Jesse reached up to pull his hat further over his eyes to shield for the ever-present fluorescent glow from the overhead lights, to only now realize he left it up in his room. He suddenly felt very naked he stopped and went still. His room was not terribly far. The rec room was closer. He would have to chance being caught naked.

Jesse slowed his movements as he moved through the silent halls. Old Overwatch memorabilia littered the walls in this area. Magazine covers and newspaper articles displaying in big headlines “Commander Morrison” this and “Captain Reyes” that. It was a wonder Winston left them up. To him, it felt like too many ghosts of the past haunted these walls.

That is when he noticed the faint glow emanated from the door lead outside. Any other location, Jesse’s instinct would be to blend into the shadows. Here though, he knew Athena was constantly vigilant to everyone on the island. Maybe Genji was up already. Hell, he nearly bragged at breakfast about how early he would rise to train and meditate. He moved over and slunk into the cool morning air.

The stadium lights were on and illuminated the outdoor track. It was quiet out here, not even the birds were awake yet. The only thing he could hear was the occasional crash of waves on the shore in the far distance. There was a lone figure on the other side of the track, running along the bend, his back to Jesse.

“Holy hell,” Jesse leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest as he took in the sight of Genji’s mythical older brother, the traditional eldest Shimada, jogging around the Overwatch track in tight black spandex shorts and white Nike sneakers. “He is real.”


	2. Act one was when we met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why do these things have to happen to Jesse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the stage is bare and I'm standing there  
> With emptiness all around  
> And if you won't come back to me  
> Then make them bring the curtain down.

The mess hall was full. Well, not full. Full was when Overwatch was fully staffed and hundreds of people frequented the base on any given day. Full was when Jesse had to shuffle around tables, looking for an open seat. Full was when Cadet Oxton would leap onto her chair, waving her arms over her head and shouting ‘Cowboy’ over the babble and rabble of chatter. Full was not this. This was…stocked.

Only six tabled filled the large area now. Mismatched from each other. Overwatch had seen better days, he mused as he sauntered over to a table and flopped next to Genji. “Mornin’, Darlin’,” his arm flopped over the back of the accompanying chair. He took a quick gaze around the table. Genji to his left, Angela across the table. There was a tray next to Angela, piled high with mashed potatoes and peas. Lena was also here.

Genji leaned back in his chair. “Morning?” He laughed, his voice still had a slight mechanical tingle to it. “McCree, it is almost eleven forty-five. This is far from morning. Some of us-” he motioned around the room to everyone seated and chatting in the cafeteria, “Awaken when adults get up.”

Jesse made a show of rolling his head as he rolled his eyes. “Some adults work a late shift.”

“Some adult,” Angela gave him a sideways glance. “Do not drink ourselves into a hangover.” Her voice was curt, far from her normal, caring tone.

Jesse sat up straight. “Doc, I was not drinking-” She shot him another look, daring him to finish. “That much.” He said. “Just a few beers. Same active ingredient in the medicine you give me, Angie.” He gave a shrug.

Angela’s posture seemed to get straighter at the comment. “At least act like a gentleman at the table.”

It was as close as he would get to her acknowledging he was joking. He reached up and removed his hat, setting it aside, along with Genji’s facemask. “Naw, Doc. I ain’t self-medication’.” He leaned forward. “Just gettin' use to-” he motioned with his hand as he shook his head. “Bed’s funny. Things make noise, you get?”

Angela sighed and looked at the salad in front of her. “Jesse, if you do need anything to help aid you-”

“Know where your office is.” He smiled and leaned back once again. 

Genji and Angela resumed their previous conversation about Genji’s training in the monastery and holistic medicines. Jesse let his mind wander to the morning. He guessed it would not surprise him that the older Shimada would not be in here. Hell, he had no idea that Hanzo was even on the base. Genji had given them only a few hours notice when Zenyatta appeared. It was the cyborg’s biggest flaw. He was never good at communicating the details when it did not come to work. 

The time change was the biggest killer here. Was the Shimada coming from Japan? What was that time difference? At least a few hours. It was no wonder he was out at that ungodly hour running laps. 

The morning replayed in his mind. Jesse did not want to interrupt. The man looked intense as he ran, his jaw locked and his eyes straight forward. The only reason Hanzo had not seen him when he entered was due to the earbuds. A music player was clipped to the band of Hanzo’s runner’s shorts. Jesse decided then, that it was smart to stay in the shadows along with the pile of equipment that still had not been fully cleaned up. 

Hanzo kept a static pace, eyes just staring straight forward and made the second bend around the track and went right past Jesse. His sneakers were brilliantly white, obviously only used for inside training. Jesse could see the muscles ripple under the tight shorts as well as in the strong muscles of his arms. This was the first time he had even seen him. 

He always assumed Hanzo Shimada was an older, more angry version of Genji. He was not completely wrong in that assumption. The brothers had similarities. Hanzo though was wider built. Much more mature as well. Genji still had a complete babyface, even with the cyborg mask, he still retained his baby fat. Jesse smirked as Hanzo passed by him again. He also did not slow his pace. Sweat glistened off his skin. He tried to get a better look at the tattooed arm. He had seen Genji’s tattoo years ago when they first met, but there was something...alluring about the way that it rippled as he flexed. Jesse licked his lips-

“Cree!” Jesse snapped back to the present, finding Lena leaving across the table, waving her hand in his face. “Are you sure he isn’t still drunk.”

“I ain’t been drunk,” he chortled. “Just tired.” He reached across the table and nabbed a fry off of Lena’s plate, dipping it into the mashed potatoes. “So, Genj,” He continued to grab at Lena’s food, even as she pulled the tray away. “When did your brother get here?”

Angel’s fork dropped. “What?”

Genji looked at him. “You saw him? Like, actually saw him? In the flesh?”

Jesse looked at the eyes now on him. “Well, he didn’t see me,” He went into the details of that morning, telling him about the morning workout and his subsequent retreat back to his room with a case of beer. “Why, have you not seen him?”

Genji looked away from Angela’s disapproving face. “I knew he was here. Winston told me when he arrived on Tuesday. I just-” He tilted his head a little. “I cannot say I have seen him myself. I believe he is avoiding me.” He fiddled with the straw in his drink. “Master Zenyatta said my brother would need time to adjust.” 

Jesse ignored the disapproving look on Angela’s face. “Tuesday you say,” He leaned back and scratched at his scruff. “That is...what...five days here?” 

“You are the first person that has approached me about seeing him. Athena tells me he hasn’t left the base, but he is not….very social.” Genji slouched in his chair. “I am….expecting him to leave.” He admitted. “He never was very...friendly.”

“Well,” Tracer leaned across the table, resting on her elbows. “You know we are hosting a meet and greet for new recruits.” She smiled. “He….is technically a new recruit.” She shrugged as Angela scoffed. “It was also Winston’s idea. Old watch training new watch type of thing. Angie, there is taking on the new medic. I already have been showing Hana around.” She looked to Jesse, “You could…” She trailed off, waving her arm 

“Genji could…” Jesse nodded slowly, full well knowing what Lena meant. He felt a rising in the pit of his stomach as Genji turned to look at him as well. “Aw hell.”

\----------

Jesse sighed and looked down at the clipboard in his hand. He was set up. He realized that now. It did not take Lena five minutes to suggest he. Jesse McCree, show Hanzo Shimada around the compound before Winston meandered over. Jesse had never seen the great ape meander ever, but there he was, meandering with a stack of clipboards.

Lena had been a great actress. She seemed natural when Hanzo came up in the conversation. She had great points as to why Jesse would be the first introduction to the people here. Reinhart was touchy-feely. Torb would hand him a map and walk away, Lena already had her hands full and it was obvious he was avoiding Genji. Sure. He was the rational one.

Then Winston meandered over. His acting was on par with his niece’s acting. And she was two. “Oh! Jesse!” He could practically hear the exclamation marks. “You? Show Genji’s brother around? What a fantastic idea!” Then a clipboard was forced into his chest and the group had scattered. Apparently, he couldn’t give his job back if he could not find anyone to complain to.

So now he stood here. He looked down at the clipboard once again, comparing the number on the form next to the number on the door. He might as well look over the forms again. One was a medical form, a tax form. “Jesus,” He cursed as he flipped through the paperwork, finding the same ‘Welcome to Overwatch’ packet that Morrison gave him all those years ago. The top two sheets though were a checklist of places and things he needed to do to get Hanzo fully in the system. Some were easy-Show where the mess hall is. Some were harder-Get fully logged into Overwatch’s Agent system. Some were going to be impossible-Schedule physical with Dr. Ziegler. Overall, the list had twenty-two separate boxes to tick. Seventeen more required some operative initialing. 

He let out a final groan of displeasure, then put on his “welcoming” face as he knocked on the door. “Please let him be gone…” He prayed to the universe.

The door slid open and there he stood and Hanzo stood there. Jesse smiled. “Howdy.” 

Hanzo’s eyes widened a fraction as his hand moved to shut the door. Jesse was quicker and put his boot out, preventing it from closing. “My name is McCree. I am a representative of Overwatch.” He held up the clipboard and began to loudly read the ‘Welcome to Overwatch’ message that Winston had penned. “An elite organization of trained individuals that was created to rescue humanity from a crisis. We became the champions of,” He let out a groan. Who let Winston write for them anyway? “Humanity. You were chosen because of blah blah blah.” He ripped that paper off the packet and crumpled it up, throwing it behind him, “I’m here to show you around, sweetheart.”

Hanzo stood there, looking practically assaulted. After a moment he shifted. “What?” He finally managed.

Jesse rolled his eyes and pointed to himself. “McCree.” He pointed to the other man. “Hanzo. I show you” he made a wide sweeping gesture “Around.”

“I am not an invalid or a child. Speak normally when you address me.” Hanzo grabbed for the door handle and tried to ram it shut. Jesse’s boot still hindered the process.

“Look, you live here, you get shown around. We are trying to get the procedure done. You can respect that, right?” Jesse was not shocked he could speak English. Genji came with a mighty fine vocabulary and he always mentioned how much more advanced his brother was compared to him. Hell, even the tone of voice didn’t shock him. He found that what did shock him was how small the man appeared. He was wide in build but kinda...pocket sized. 

“I am capable of showing myself around,” Hanzo reached for the clipboard like a man who was hardly ever denied anything. 

Jesse pulled it back just enough to have Hanzo lean in more. He rather liked making this man feel uncomfortable. “Whoa there, Pardner.” He smirked. “We got regulations here. It has to be an agent that shows you around. Somma these things require an access key, and you ain’t gone one yet.”

Hanzo frowned. “Does it have to be you?”  
Jesse clenched at his chest. “Darlin’ you are hurting my little ol’ feelins. But if you want someone else, I guess Lena is available.” He flipped through the papers, keeping them out of Hanzo’s sight until he landed on the monthly lunch menu “Ah there...she is free. You remember seein’ Lena right? Chipper thing. Kinda a gossip. She will love bendin’ your ear for information. Real nice gal. Friendly too. Mighty good conversation. Did you know she once worked at one of those amusement parks? The one with the character’s in costumes meant for the kiddies. She is a real treat.”

Hanzo stepped back, into his own room once again. Jesse could see the wheels turning in his head. “She….” He looked about to continue that thought but, “No.”

“Then strap on your shoes and let’s get movin’.” Jesse made to turn away but kept his boot firmly planted in the doorway. “I’ll be honest, I have better things to do with my time then play tour guide. I am going to make this quick.”

Hanzo stayed in the doorway, quietly contemplating before bending down and slipped on his training boots. “Make it quick.” He reached for the clipboard. “I will mark off what I have seen.” 

“Mmm,” Jesse shifted himself away and started down the hall. “It requires me to sign off. Regulations.” He shrugged. “And before you come up with another excuse on why you ain’t comin’, If this don’t get done, we will just keep comin’ back and botherin’ you.

“I am coming,” Hanzo shut the door to his dorm behind him and turned back to Jesse. He stood ramrod straight. Jesse took a minute to look the shorter man over. He was dressed in some sort of training gi and traditional pants. His hair was tied up with a yellow scarf. If it weren’t for the robo-boots and the bridge piercing, he would have looked like he stepped right out of a Kurosawa film set. The man just seemed like modernism and traditionalism used his body as a battleground. “Why do you stare?” Hanzo’s frown deepened.

“Nothin’,” Jesse turned and headed down the hall. “Just admiring you, Ronin.” He headed down the hall, beginning to point out different areas of interest in the compound and ticking off boxes as he went. So far, he had taken Hanzo by the essentials; Laundry room, post office, the defunct general store (which now was a storage space), the library, rec room, study, among other recreational activity rooms that he was sure the Japanese man beside him could care less about. Winston was a stickler for rules though and wanted everyone to feel welcomed, whether they liked it or not. There was no way Jesse was going to get caught cutting corners. 

Back in the old watch, Jesse remembered this tour himself. Commander Reyes had given him the tour personally. It consisted of showing him the training center, the mess hall and the shitter followed by introducing him to the head of HR. “I expect you are going to hear a lot from this one,” The commander then waved and left Jesse there to explain himself to the humorless woman in the gray tweed dress. It was payback for an earlier infraction during transport. That was his first introduction to the ways of Commander Gabriel Reyes and way of hazing troops.

“So over there is the training centers. Weight room, pool...yoga?” He motioned, snapping out of his own history. “It is mostly in order. The equipment is old though. You may have to move around some things if the equipment is not something normally used. Reinhart is in the weight room most mornings after six. Angela likes to do yoga most mornings too. I know treadmills are cleared off as well as elliptical machines.” He was grasping at straws for things to talk about. He was not used to one-sided conversations.

“Is there a place to practice target shooting?” It was the first words Hanzo had spoken since he started the tour. 

“Uh, yeah. It is out thata way,” He motioned to the left side of the building. “That is reserved though for only active members. Fer training.” He scratched the back of his head. “But I am sure that once these little forms are turned in we can get you an access card and you can do all that.” 

Hanzo gave a curt nod and went back to silence. It was getting to the point of being too uncomfortable. Jesse could only do so much talking without any banter. He looked at his phone. It was nearing six. “Whelp, Mr. Shimada. I think this is a good place to end our tour for the day.” He stopped in a small alcove next to the auxiliary gym and looped his metal thumbs in his jean pockets and looked at the paperwork. “I reckon’ we can get through the rest of this tomorrow if we start early.” He was itching for a cigar and a hot meal, both of which he could not have while playing babysitter. 

Hanzo gave another quick nod. “Tell me what is next on your list. We will meet there.”

Jesse raised his eyebrows and looked over the list. “Welp, there is gettin’ ya into the system. Can’t do that until you have a physical. Then there is the showing you how to use the system. Again, first, you need the physical.”

“Then I get the physical.”

Jesse tried to not make a face at that. Dr. Ziegler was a complete professional. She literally was the best in her field. Dr. Ziegler was strong, intelligent and hands-on with all her patients. Jesse knew that if he were in a jam, she would be the only physician allowed to put her hands inside him. 

But Angela…

Angela was Genji’s friend first. She had repaired the ninja’s body when he came here, torn to ribbons. She sat by his side for months, reading to him and nursing him back to health. She was his constant cheerleader and moral compass. She was the first one Genji opened up to on the truth of what had happened to him in Shimada Castle.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to go with ya on that one,” Jesse said, shifting his weight to his other leg. “Help the doc along with things. She has four new people that will be droppin’ by We’ll make sure you are an in-an-out deal.” He headed back the way they had come. “I can meet you by the outside track. It’s a nice halfway point between dorms and the med bay. ‘Sides, you’ll already be there, I reckon. Just know I ain’t gonna be there at four A.M.”

He walked a few more paces before he realized he didn't see Hanzo by his side. He turned and looked back. If Jesse thought he looked unhappy before, he was sorely mistaken. Hanzo’s shoulders tensed, his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. His eyebrows came together and the silence that engulfed the smaller man was noticeable. His eyes were a weapon that pierced him on the spot. “Do not assume you know my schedule, Hillbilly.”

Jesse opened his mouth to retort, but Hanzo continued. 

“You do not know me. You are not permitted to know my comings and goings around here.” He moved closer, drawing to his full height in front of Jesse. “You will not treat me as such. If I ever catch you watching me,” He let the threat hang in the air as he moved past Jesse, ramming his shoulder into him as he passed.

Jesse watched the spot where he was, mouth still agape. “I’m from Santa Fe,” he said to the empty halls. “That’s the opposite of Appalachia. I ain’t a hillbilly,” His voice reverberated off the walls. No one was there to hear.


	3. Near to me and yet so far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> McCree works on Hanzo. It seems he is warming up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am just a lonesome cowboy  
> And I'm travelling all alone  
> If you don't call me baby  
> Then I'm never coming home.

3:57

How many nights was he awoken hours before he wanted hour? Jesse groaned and threw the blankets off his heated body, sighing in relief as his sticky skin hit the heated air. The window was open already, but it felt like there was no air movement. Even this close to the sea, his room always felt boxed in. 

Jesse moved to sit up and threw the window open wider before flopping back onto the bed with a groan. There was no way he was getting back to sleep. He ran his hand over his chest, scratching at his collarbone and he shivered at the touch. The morning was still. He had nowhere to be for quite a few hours.

Jesse adjusted himself, reaching into the drawer by his bed and pulled out a half used a bottle of lube. He closed his eyes and continued to run a hand over his chest, liking the feel of his own coarse hair. Personally, he enjoyed when his conquests were shaved, but he liked his own rugged manliness. He licked his dry lips and rolled a nipple in his hand. His cock was already at half-mast, it would not take him long if he chose to hurry. But he had time.

His flesh hand moved down and gripped the base of his cock and slowly pumped upwards and he watched as a bead of precum leaked out of the tip. His thumb rolled over his head and let out a low groan, dropping his hand back to the base and repeating the slow movement, tightening his grip on his member as he worked himself with one hand. 

The last time he properly fucked was right before being recalled. He was on a bounty job in Chattanooga. A simple retrieval. That night in the bar he found the prettiest blue eyes and pink lips. It took very little persuasion to get the twink into his hotel room, and much less to get him on his cock. The whole time those blue eyes were locking on his, adoring and worshiping his body.

He shivered as his cock leaked more, thinking about those perfect pink lips taking him down only about half way before it was too much. The knowledge that if Jesse wanted, he could grab the boy by the back of his head and literally choke him just with his cock always made him weak. He didn’t do that though, instead, he stroked blond hair and cooed sweet nothings at him. Jesse opened the bottle of lube with his free hand and poured a generous amount over his slow moving hand and purple cock.

Jesse leaned back against and worked himself into a rhythm, picturing deep inky black eyes boring into his soul. He spread his legs slightly and felt the lube make its way down his crack. It had been longer since he was last properly fucked himself. He moved his other hand down and began to toy with his puckered entrance, running the slick liquid all over his hole before slipping a mechanical digit in past his first knuckle.

Intense black eyes and a tongue wafted into his imagination as he switched hands, letting his flesh and blood fingers make their way into his body with little resistance. He imagined a lover doing this to him instead of his own hands, taking control of his body and talking dirty to him. 

He added a second finger, scissoring them and purposely avoiding that spot inside him that would make him buck his hips and cry out. This imaginary lover would tease him, he decided, deny him pleasures until it was convenient. Jesse let out another low moan as he arched his back a little, fingers moving in deeper as his mechanical hand kept pumping at a steady rhythm, leaking onto his stomach.

A pierced dick, Jesse decided. The man above him with dark eyes and intense voice would also be sporting a ring at the end of his cock. He would tease Jesse about it as well, pushing it against his hole, threatening to split him with it as he bit and suckled at Jesse’s neck and jaw and ear. This man would not be small either. He would be muscular. Powerful. 

Dominate.

Jesse back arched further off the bed as his body shuddered and thick, hot come landed on his chest and stomach. He continued to pump his cock slowly, milking out all the come he could and riding out his orgasm, wondering, in vain, if he could edge himself on and into a second orgasm. 

Alas, he laid against the sticky sheets and removed his fingers from his body, wiping them on the sheets as he lay there, content with his fluids drying on him. He closed his eyes and let himself fall into unconsciousness.

\-----------

Jesse slumped against the counter in the clinic as he checked his phone. It was a half hour before Angela would open, but he wanted to be there before the archer. He stretched his back and flipped through pictures. He did not have anything pressing to do at this moment. It was his third morning of waiting. It was assured that Hanzo was now avoiding him. Yesterday morning he headed to the track and found it desolate. 

So he returned to Angie’s med bay to wait. If Hanzo wanted to do anything, he would have to come and get his physical eventually. He switched apps on his phone and began to fill in the daily sudoku. Once he finished, it would be around 10 and he would go and get work done for the day.

“Yo.” 

Jesse looked up and smiled, “Well, if it ain’t my favorite cyborg ninja.” He stood up again. “What brings you down here?” He tipped his hat back to get a better view. Genji’s faceplate was in his hand, he was smiling, but Jesse could see something lingering there beyond the surface. “What can I do ya for?”

“I just wanted to...thank you,” He said quietly. “For all that you have done for my brother.”

Jesse blinked. “You mean insultin’ him and stalkin’ him, cause that’s what he thinks I did.”

“He does not think that,” He paused “At least I don’t get the impression he feels that way. I saw him yesterday, McCree.” 

Jesse raised his eyebrows. “I’m happy for you?”

Genji chuckled, “I actually saw him...he acknowledged me. That is the most contact I have had with him in years.” He smiled and looked at his hands as he spoke. “He has always been….haughty, but you got him to come out. I knew you would. People just naturally like you.”

“Aw, Sugar, did you come all the way down here to tell lil’ ol’ me that?” He smirked. “Shucks, I feel all pretty-like.”

“No. I came down to say not to waste your time waiting here. I doubt Hanzo is going to ever agree to a physical. And between you and me, I doubt Angela will clear him for missions. She still holds him responsible.”

“Fer cuttin’ you up into teeny tiny Genji bits? I can kinda get where she is coming from,” He said. “I’ll talk to Winston. He may make an exception. We will keep Angie out of all this fer now.” He shook his head. “It’s a damn thing though, you being all forgivin’. Not sure I would be as kind.”

“Master Zenyatta is to thank. He showed me peace in forgiveness. It is not an easy path, but my soul is at rest. I hope my brother will soon find such harmony.” 

Jesse slipped his phone back into his front pocket and headed out. “Genji, anyone tell you yet that you are starting to sound like a fortune cookie?”

Genji smiled. “Seeking truth, one cookie at a time.”

__________________

 

Jesse looked at the volume of aviation tactics from World War II that Lena and thrust upon him. Roughly three seconds after sitting with his dinner when Lena plopped up next to him, as chipper as the sunshine, and began talking about how Winston was sending her out on a mission that night and how she needed to return a book to the library. She was talking fast, and before he knew it, Jesse agreed that, yes, he would be passing by the library at some point, and, of course, he would be pleased as punch to return her book. 

So here he was, at to the library. He was not one for physical books. Or digital books. Or words. He liked pictures more. Jesse rounded the corner and flipped through Lena’s book, admiring the colored photographs of old bomber planes from the bygone era, admiring the pin up models on the sides of them. They looked like the types of girls Lena would date herself.

The library was probably the most well stocked of any place in the whole base. Winston still lived here, and he devoured books like Hana packed away Cheesy-doodles during a live stream. Winston, he reckoned, would read any genre or any literature in any language, as long as he could get ahold of it. Any well read piece of literature was probably. If it was not, a quick conversation with the ape and within a week, it was bound, cataloged and shelved. McCree found the reason it took so long was Winston had to experience the book before the general population was allowed. 

That being said, it was also no wonder that the library was the coziest room in the whole watchpoint. Large windows faced the sea in all directions, so no matter what there was a sunny spot (with UV protective glass, to not damage or fade any of the books). Couches and chairs were plush and oversized for a normal, adult human. Jesse found that when sitting in one, he felt like a child again, and it was comforting. 

Certain windows fell in tiny alcoves with padded benches. Captain Amari claimed that was her favorite spot when she first introduced Jesse to the room over a decade before. A soft smile would cross her face as she neatly deposited herself in the western sun, reclining against the wall. The whole time she smiled at Jesse. “I use to bring my little Fareeha here when she was small. We would curl up here and I would tell her fantastic stories.”

Jesse sighed as he gripped the door handle. “Too many damn ghosts here,” His job was to just return the book, reshelve it and leave. It was a library for fucks’ sake. Not a cemetery. He pushed his weight against the door and stepped inside and felt his blood turn to ice.

The sun was setting in the west and outlined a dark figure sitting in the alcove directly across from the entrance. Jesse let himself relax as the figure came into focus. Hanzo. He was curled up in the alcove reading. His knees were bent on the bench with a book resting on his thighs as he rested against the back wall. His head was bent slightly forward, chin resting against his chest and oblivious to Jesse.

Perfect opportunities don’t just fall into his lap every day. He leaned against the counter, slipping his boots off quietly as he could and set them aside. This would probably end with his windpipe broken, but he found a sick pleasure in tormenting the stoic man. Jesse moved slowly, staying behind Hanzo’s line of sight as he approached. The floor was carpeted, which made his movements nearly silent. Genji also had been a good teacher when it came to silent movements. Sure it was years before, and Hanzo would be highly trained but he could still attempt.

Hanzo’s head rolled to the right and he let out a slow breath. His hands barely clutched to the book.Jesse moved and knelt down near him. “I’ll be damned, he does sleep.” He smiled and took a moment to appreciate his features.

Hanzo had handsome features. He was exceedingly masculine with his broad nose and strong jaw. His beard was meticulously trimmed, adding to his allure. Jesse tilted his head and resisted the urge to brush the stray black hair out of his eyes so he could get a better look at the thick lashes. 

Fuck. What was wrong with him? Hanzo could wake up any minute and his fist was at the perfect angle to nail him right in the family business. He still did not want to move back though. Instead, he reached out and lifted the book out of Hanzo’s limp hands.

“Was reading that,” Hanzo grumbled and stretched.

“Looked to me like you were cat-napping.” He smiled and sat on the opposite side of the bench. “Damn, Ronin, this is not a book, it’s a fucking doorstop. It must be at least fifteen pounds.” He looked at spine and saw the writing was Japanese. “And before you get all defensive about me stalkin’ you, I came here for independent reasons.” 

“I find that hard to believe,” Hanzo arched his back, stretching. He craned his neck to either side.

“That I am not stalkin’ you?”

“No,” A slight smirk played on Hanzo’s lips. “The idea that you can read. Why else would you be in the library.” He reached out for his book, ready to snatch it back.

“Libraries check out all sorts of things. Like movies. I could have been in here getting a documentary.” Jesse smirked and leaned against the wall, getting himself comfortable. He rather liked the banter. He flipped the book several more times in his hand “What are you readin’?” Hanzo made for another snatch at the book as Jesse leaned away, keeping it just out of his reach. He noticed a slight flushing to Hanzo’s cheeks

“Just give it back, Roy Rogers. It’s not like you can read the title.” 

“Ooh, you are getting more personal like with the insults.” He held the book at arm’s length. A wide smile moved over his face as he got a good look at the artwork. It was a white book and looked very much like something his Abuelita would have on her bookshelf. The script was in Kanji, but it was big and sweeping over the cover, with a small band of a picture in the middle. His smile grew as he drank the sight in. A vast plain with horse-drawn carriages in the back. And front and center sat a desperado on a horse next to a woman and a teepee. “Your reading cowboy books.” He teased. “Damn, Ronin, and here I was thinkin’ you didn’t like me.”

Hanzo snatched the book away, his face painfully read. “Winston recommended it as a novel about American history.”

“So you talked to Winston now?”

“He messaged me through the communication link in my quarters. I simply requested artifacts to better understand...you crudeness.”

Jesse smiled. “So what is it you are readin’?”

“If you cannot read the title, I am not obliged to tell you, Roy Rogers.” Hanzo shifted away and stood up, slipping on his boots. 

“You keep callin’ me that. I think you mean it as an insult, but it ain’t,” Jesse was all smiles as he headed to the door with the shorter man.“So, we better now? You ain’t callin’ me a hillbilly no more?”

Hanzo paused, holding the book against him like a shield. “....I was mistaken about you,” He said. “Hillbillies are from the Appalachian Mountain region of West Virginia. You are from Santa Fe. It is on the opposite side of the United States. I would hate to insult hard working Americans by lumping them in with the likes of you.”

“Now that is just plain cold.”


	4. A Little More Spark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drifting through a summer breeze  
> It's a groovy night and I can show you how to use it  
> Come along with me and put your mind at ease  
> A little less conversation, a little more action, please

“Six months is a long time to be waitin’, Winston,” Jesse sat in the main control room next to the giant moon ape. “I’m just sayin’, this ain’t my cup of tea.” He picked up his cup of coffee and took a long drink. 

“You are not clear to do field work,” Winston sighed and flipped through newspaper headlines. “Sorry, buckaroo. It comes with having your face on wanted posters in five separate countries.”

“The president once gave me a big shiny medal,” He mumbled under his breath, flipping through pages of files, looking over old case files. “Called me a big damn national treasure.”

“Love, I hate to burst your bubble, but I think the president was talking about the Strike-Commander and Commander Reyes.” Lena zipped next to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “But you are always my big, damn, American hero.”

“Lena, you are as sweet as a tart,” He leaned back in his chair, giving her his best puppy eyes... “Tell Winston to let me into the field. You are his favorite.” His voice changed, giving a slight whine to it. “I am itchin’ to get out of here.”

Winston rolled his eyes. “McCree, you are welcome to leave the base whenever you wish. I just cannot in good faith send you anywhere that you may be compromised.”

Jesse let out a dramatic moan and slid away in his rolling chair for a dramatic effect. “Then send me on a fluff mission! You send Lena on them all the time. Last time she even brought her girlfriend with her.”

Winston let out a sighed and removed his glasses. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Firstly, stop accusing me of being the sole reason you are not in the field. Dr. Zeigler needs to sign your medical papers still. Secondly, do you think you are not working in here? Our numbers are minuscule. Do you think Torbjörn or Reinhardt could fill Commander Reyes’ role?”

Jesse looked at him from his slumped position. “Torb would fare just fine lookin’ through web pages for the big nasties. Hell, Rein could also do this. You are wastin’ my talents here.”

A headache moved and Winston rubbed his temples in large, slow circles. “Go to Angela and get your medical forms released. You need a psychiatric evaluation as well. I will give you a recruiting mission once I get green on you. Would that make you happy?”

Jesse popped out of the chair and sauntered away. “Better have that mission ready by the time I get back.” He raised his hands and gave them finger guns as he headed out. “Angie loves me.”

Lena sighed and moved the chair back to the console and slowly sat. “Tell me what he was supposed to do. I will finish it.”

Winston rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. “He was going through past missions and looking for possible Talon agents.” He mumbled.”I am still trying to figure out who attacked the base.” He gave Lena a small smile. “And I wanted his input on how organizations like that recruit.” 

Lena stretched and cracked her knuckles, smiling wide. “Then we have a lot to get through.”

___________________

“I just don’t understand how you can call him a friend,” Angela sat in her office. She was neatly dressed in a gray, woolen dress, and clean white lab coat. Her personal office was a neat, beige room, but still came off as warm and inviting, just like the woman.

Jesse reclined back on the plush couch and sighed, resting his hat on his knee. “I ain’t his friend. I am being hospitable to him. There’s a difference. Genji asked me to look in on him, and I am doin’ just that.”

Angela’s lips pursed as she set a cup of coffee in front of Jesse and she moved into the highback chair across from him. “Genji is,” She looked at her hands. “Making a mistake with him. How are we expected to just allow a man like that into Overwatch? He is a killer.”

“Hey now,” He leaned forward. “I ain’t an angel myself. I killed before joinin’.”

“You didn’t kill your brother.”

Jesse scratched at the corner of his eye. “Yeah, but I shot Gabe in the leg. I’m just sayin’ having dirty hands kinda comes with the territory.”

“He still has connections to the Shimada empire. He was their leader.”

“An’ I was in Deadlock. Gangs happen.” He shrugged.

Angela was quiet. She took a deep breath. “You are defending him quite a bit.”

“I ain’t sayin’ I don’t agree with you. I’m just sayin’-”

“That you want to give him a chance.”

Jesse blew a raspberry and reclined back again. “No. I am sayin’ that Genji asked. There are, like, four people total who can ask me ta do somethin’ and I will, no questions. Genji’s one of ‘em.”

Angela set the tea she was drinking on the table. “You are here to get field clearance, yes?” She changed the subject.

“I just want to be useful again. Get out of here. Right now I feel like I am just babysittin’ an assassin to make sure Genji is happy. I wanna get inta danger.”

Angela raised an eyebrow at that.

“I mean, not bring danger on, but...I want to do good. I’m a big damn hero and I’m stuck here.”

She nodded and began to write. “So how long have you had this hero complex.”

“Since I became a big damn hero.” He smiled. “Come on, Angie. You know I am good to go in my noggin. I ain’t a risk.”

She sighed. “Jesse, I will lose my license if I were to skip steps in this process just because we are friends.” 

“So you’re sayin’ you value your practice more than our friendship?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “Much more. When you start paying me to be your friend, then we can revisit that conversation.”

Jesse sighed and twisted his hat in his hands. “I was bein’ honest when I said I wanted to do good. I may have a hero complex, but I wanna do good.”

Angela’s smile softened as reclined back in the chair. “Tell me about the past five years. Catch me up on what you have been up to.”

Jesse smiled. “I’ll tell ya all about the clinical stuff here. Get dinner with me and I’ll fill you in on the personal.” He continued to twist his hat and began to talk.

___________________

Hanzo sat on the roof of the outpost building facing the sea. Below him was the balcony that many agents used after dinner to talk and walk or, in the case of McCree, smoke. He found this location soothing. The ocean drowned out the chatter in his head and gave him the closest resemblance to relaxation he felt in years. The ocean naturally had that effect on him. Fond memories of his childhood were linked to the oceans.

Genji left him a note, asking him to join in meditation. He declined.

The sun felt wonderful against his skin at the very least. It was rather nice to be outside where it was warm, rather than some of the destitute hideouts he had been in. This place was almost hospitable. 

Hanzo stretched his legs out in front of him and arched his back like a cat. He reached into his side bag and withdrew his novel. The giant monkey did have good taste when it came to literature, he decided. The novel was about the American southwest and was, surprisingly, well written. He rather liked reading about the hardships of Gus McCrae. He normally was not one for these types of romanticisation of history, but this one had its merits. He leaned opened the book to his placemark and continued to read.

He paused every time someone walked by on the balcony and listened in on their conversations. His favorite to listen in on was Hana and her boyfriend. It was endearing how hard she flirted with him and how oblivious he was to her advancements. 

“Lucio,” Hana’s voice bounced on every syllable. “How is Dr. Ziegler treating you in the med center? I heard she was a touch medic from Lena.”

“Naw, Doc is nice,” His voice always sounded so star struck when he was around the girl. “Works me hard, of course. But she said that she wants to take me out on a scouting mission soon. She takes her craft seriously and makes me do actual medic training. I had to learn how to suture a wound!” Lucio leaned against the railing next to Hana. “So tell me about the famous Tracer.”

The two continued to gossip about different team members as Hanzo listened. They talked about all members of the team, before wandering off, talking about plans for a movie. Hanzo moved back to his book. It was nearly 1 in the morning back home. In about an hour the mess hall would clear out, and he would go and make himself something to eat.

“Yo,” Hanzo was startled at the voice that came from behind him. In a fluid motion, he turned and dropped into a defense position, looking at his would-be assailant. Genji stood there, in sweatpants and a baby pink sweatshirt with a kitten on it. He waved. “Good to think some things haven’t changed.”

“Genji?” Hanzo’s shoulders dropped. His eyes darted around, looking for the damn robot monk that was his brother’s ever present sidekick now.

“Just me,” he still sauntered as he walked, Hanzo noted, as he moved over and plopped down next to him. “Wanted to see you, like, up close.”

Hanzo tentatively sat again and looked Genji over. This was the closest he had been to his brother since Hanamura. Hanzo looked away, disgusted.

Genji relaxed back, taking off the faceplate. “You know, you have not made a single comment on how I look like a Super Sentai Ranger.” He smiled wide at his brother.

“You...should sue whoever did this to you. It is garish,” Hanzo looked at the sweater. The longer he looked, the worse it got. The kitten was seated in a basket with yarn all over it. Instead of it being printed, there were literal strings attached. The kitten’s eyes were also full of glitter. 

Genji laughed. “I’ll have you know I designed this power armor. It makes me a better warrior.”

“I was talking about your fashion choices. You look like a homeless Gundam.”

Genji blinked, putting his hand to his chest. “Are you insulting my Mr. Whisker’s sweater? This is a cherished gift!”

“Kill your friend. He obviously hates you.” Hanzo’s face relaxed. This was very reminiscent of their last conversation before Genji traveled abroad for school. His brother was always a pain to him.

“It was the cowboy,” He said with another smirk. Geni’s eyes moved down to the book near Hanzo, his smile went wider.

Hanzo flushed red and hid the book back in his bag. “The cowboy has terrible taste. Looking at him would be enough to see that.”

“He is insanely good looking though.” Genji moved closer to Hanzo and rummaged in his bag, pulling out two obento. He handed one over to Hanzo, enjoying how pink Hanzo’s cheeks were getting.

Genji reached up and removed the rest of his helmet. “And before you ask, yes I eat human food. I still have human bits, I just am missing some….organic organs.” He smiled. “Like a spine.” He looked over at he did not hear a quip. Had he gone too far? Hanzo was still uncomfortable with the whole cyborg brother thing.

Hanzo’s mouth hung slightly open, his eyebrows raised as he looked to the top of Genji, at the shock of green hair. Hanzo set the bento box down before bursting into a fit of giggles. Hanzo wrapped an arm around his middle and brought his knees up as his laughter raised in pitch. Tears rolled down the side of his face and he tried to cover his mouth. “Are you serious? You are an adult! An elite ninja with that fucking hair still!” He snorted.

“Hey!” Genji laughed and ran a hand through his thick, green hair. “I make this look good. It is my signature look! And you are one to talk! You look like a hipster with that undercut and those piercings! You belong in a coffee joint.”

“You belong in an anime.” Hanzo snorted. “I at least look cool.”

“Cyborg ninja! That is always cool!” Genji shoved him back, smiling.

Hanzo let out another bark of laughter as he fell back against the roof. “Nerd.” His giggles subsided as he looked at the blue sky. “Did you bring beers?”

Genji sat back and pulled out two cans of beer as Hanzo managed to sit up and wipe his face on his shirt. “So, hipster, how many tattoos do you have now?”

Hanzo shook his head. “Still the one.” He held out his arm. “But...I would not be opposed to more.”

Genji smiled. “Father was so pissed when you got your ears pierced. He made you take them out right away.”

“You think Father was the problem? Mother lost her mind.” He smiled and picked up his bento and began to eat. “She held that over my head for years as an example of my ‘poor life choices’.”

“Mmm,” Genji nodded in agreement. “Jewelry was the problem. Not sneaking out to clubs in the middle of the night and not coming home until the early morning.”

“That was you,” Hanzo chided. 

“Oh no. I was always caught. You though. I watched you. You would sneak out and go to some club somewhere and you would always sneak back in and get into bed before anyone knew what happened.”

Hanzo smirked. “You knew about that?”

“I figured you were out getting laid. I was not ever going to get in the way of that. When you got laid, you were much more pleasant to be around.”

Hanzo laughed again. “You were always worse when you weren’t caught. You were nothing but a cocky little bastard who wanted to tell everyone about the girl at the ramen shop.”

“Hey now, Yuki was a treasure! Why do you think we always got free lunches?”

The brothers sat in peace, laughing and reminiscing about the past. Their conversation stayed light, both of them not bringing up that night in Hanamura all those years ago. Hanzo slowly relaxed more as he finished his beer. He could not remember a time when they talked like this before. 

“Brother,” Genji said after a while. “On Friday most of us go to the common room to watch a movie. Each week we change who shows the movie. It is McCree’s turn to pick on.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Hanzo sighed and looked at the sea. He closed his eyes. “The cinema was never my-”

“Shove it, Brother.” Genji sighed. “Look, he picks good movies. McCree can come off as uncultured, but he has entertaining old movies.”

“Genji. What are you telling me this? I don’t care.”

“Attempt to come?” He asked. “Please. I think it will do good to have other people see you around. They can see you are not a threat to any of us.” Genji sighed and packed the bento boxes back into his bag. “Please, Brother?”

Hanzo looked at Genji’s face and his heart ached as he saw the scars that he placed there. “I...will...try.” He managed as he stood up. “What time does this ridiculousness start?”

“Nine. Everyone gets dinner before. It is in Common Room C.” He headed off and was gone, leaving Hanzo alone again on the roof. He looked to the sea once again and let out a long sigh. The feeling of dread was welling in his chest once again. Friday was tomorrow. He basically said he would be there. It was a movie. Just a film. McCree was picking it, so it was obviously going to be a stupid action movie. Lots of explosions and very little thinking. He could manage two hours in the dark. He could sneak out before the movie ended and avoid the awkward stares from Genji’s friends. He could arrive late too.

He could also skip it all. That was an option. He laid back and covered his face, taking in deep breaths, trying to get his heart to calm. 

It was just a movie.

______________

Jesse plopped his blanket down on the floor in front of the couch. It had come to be his normal spot. They all had assigned seating at these movies. Rein and Winston always placed themselves at the back, sitting at the high table where snacks were stacked. Hana sat in the middle of the couch, with Lucio on her right and Lena at her left. Usually, by the end of the movie, Hana was snuggled up to one of them, fast asleep. That was especially true if it wasn’t an action movie. Angie used to curl up in the chair to the left of the screen, but he doubted she would come tonight. Genji had invited Hanzo and she was still uncomfortable with him being around. Also, McCree was picking the movie of the week, and she hated his taste in cinema. Genji sat in Angie’s chair instead, legs draped over the arm as he reclined back.

“All right, ‘yall,” He said after everyone seemed settled. He stood in front of the large screen. “I got movie picks for the night.” He rubbed his hands together and smiled wickedly. “And lately, I have been itchin’ to watch this, even though it is more of a Christmas movie.”

Everyone groaned. “Come on, man!” he heard as they all turned to each other and began to grumble. Perfect. He smiled more as he looked around at the group. His eyes darted to the hall as he caught a slight movement.

“Now, Y’all listen,” He put his hands up to settle them. “I said it is, but I promise it’s the greatest action movie of all time. It is the pinnacle of American cinema.”

Jesse left them with that. The group groaning and pointing at the screen as he started the movie and headed to the door to get the lights.

The studio logo flashed on the screen as the room went dark. Jesse leaned against the doorway. “You comin’ in, or just staying out there?” He whispered.

“I was planning on staying here. Your movie sounds awful, Roy Rogers.” Hanzo appeared there, in front of him. 

Jesse smiled wider. “You keep callin’ me that. Callin’ me that ain’t an insult.” He all put purred. “I actually like that name. It’s badass.”

Hanzo scoffed. “Calling you a television cowboy from the fifties? I saw pictures of him.”

“One, he was known as the king of the cowboys. And he is a singin’ cowboy. I don’t sing. Two, watch this movie and you’ll see why that ain’t an insult.” He reached out and took Hanzo around the shoulders and led him in as the cheery Christmas music played. He plopped Hanzo on the ground in front of the couch and sat next to him. “Now, you missed part of it. That is John McClane and he is a cop from New York and he is going to L.A for Christmas with his family.”

Hanzo crossed his arms over his chest as he sat there. “Do you not have furniture?” 

Jesse rolled his eyes and sat on the floor, resting his back on the foot of the couch. “‘Nother rule,” He held up his hand. His face was strangely serious. “No talkin’. It’s rude.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes and sat back as well. Pulling his legs up, he settled in to watch. He ignored the terrible beating in his chest. It was dark and no one was talking. He wished to look around, but he did not want to see them staring. McCree had forced him in and embarrassed him at the door.

No, the voice in his brain whispered to him. McCree was kind to him. He waited until he started the movie before saying anything to him, and made sure it was dark before moving him in. He could have made a production of it; everything else seemed to be a production, but not this.

Hanzo was deep in thought he didn’t notice McCree leaning in. “Now, you’ll like him. The German.” He whispered.

Hanzo smirked and put a finger to his lips, shushing the cowboy. Jesse smiled back. He had an old, red blanket draped around his shoulders. He gave a shrug and moved to lean back against the couch.

Hanzo looked over at him. His hat was off, probably placed somewhere to his other side. He had never seen the imbecile with a bare head. He assumed it was to hide a balding spot. He was pleased to find a mop of unruly brown hair that hung long. It was clear McCree had not had a proper haircut in a while. He looked very much the part of the cowboy.

The movie dragged on. It was, to Hanzo, a standard action movie with the beat up cop crawling around in vents and attempting to stop the evil German terrorists. The group behind him seemed to get a kick out of it, especially the large Crusader. Hanzo found himself even getting pulled into the antics, smiling some at the terrible lines and cheesy gun fire.

He glanced back to McCree and noticed the cowboy mouthing along to the dialogue. He couldn’t help but smile. The man was a child. And then the line happened that made the cowboy turn and smirk like a fox.

“Was always kinda partial to Roy Rogers actually. I really like those sequined shirts,” John McClane bantered to the terrorists. Jesse grabbed Hanzo with his one arm around his shoulder and shook him, pulling Hanzo in. Hanzo tried to give him a look, but it was lost on the jubilance of Jesse McCree, Man-child. He leaned in and whispered to Hanzo in time with the movie. “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.”

The rest of the movie was spent that way, McCree’s arm around his shoulder. The blanket somehow was wrapped around his shoulder as well. The quips and one-liners peppered the dialogue as the movie dragged on. Every time the action would increase, Jesse’s arm would squeeze him in tighter, jostling the archer. He could not say if he enjoyed the film or not, After a time, it seemed to all blend together and soon enough, Hanzo’s felt his head growing heavy. He was squeezed tight against the cowboy and instead of pulling away this time, Hanzo melted into the body next to him, putting his head on the shoulder and closing his eyes.

Jesse smelled exceedingly masculine. Sandalwood and cigars. It was what he expected of the man, but at the same time, much more alluring that he initially figured. His red, flannel shirt was soft under HAnzo’s cheek. He could feel the muscles moving and found himself enjoying the strong arm around his shoulder, holding him close.

All too soon though, he was nudged. McCree’s arm left his shoulder sometime before, though Hanzo could not remember when and nudged him lightly in the ribs. It was enough to set himself upright all while blushing terribly. “I-” He started and Jesse shook his head. He looked to the movie and saw the German Terrorist hanging out of the building’s window before dropping in slow motion.

Jesse leaned over. “Figured I would wake you before the credits roll.” He voice was a low roll. Hanzo closed his eyes as he tried to get his bearings. He had fallen asleep at some point and slept hard. His head spun with the familiar feeling of one’s body waking up before their brain. He sat back and rubbed his eyes as the cheery Christmas music started up once again.

All at once the room began to move. Hana leaped off the couch and landed right in front of him as she stretched out her back, arms wide above her head. “Ok, your movies rock!” She smiled down at Jesse, giving him two thumbs up.

Jesse laughed at that, placing his hat back atop his head. “Thank ya kindly.” He drawled more than usual, to the Korean soldier’s delight. She squealed and grabbed Lucio, making her face serious. “Now I know what a TV dinner feels like.” He laughed and put his arm around her, looking to Lena. “You going to be like the old watch and call it in early?” The three of them filed out of the room, Lucio's voice came trailing back. “Hey! I know this great club downtown. It’s still early enough to get there and--” His voice drifted off.

Reinhardt and Winston were the next two to leave, both also complemented McCree on his film choice as they filed out. Genji, he noticed, was already gone. Hanzo stayed seated on the ground, the blanket still wrapped around him. He watched as the cowboy moved around the room, placing the movie back into the case.

“So I kinda figured you’d be gone by now,” McCree said, his back still to Hanzo.

“Thank you, for...alerting me when the movie was finishing.”

McCree sat back on the couch. “You know, you missed all the good parts.” He smiled and leaned down. “I am rather disappointed.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes. “I am sorry, Cowboy. Forgive me. I missed your ancient movie that upholds the American standard of masculinity.”

“Excuse you, it’s pretty badass.” McCree feigned being insulted. He reached out and smacked his shoulder. “You just don’t appreciate a true American hero.” 

Hanzo smiled and pushed himself up. “Of course, Roy Rogers.” He pulled the blanket closer around himself. His hair was slightly mussed, Jesse noticed how it fell out of the tight tie and framed his face. Hanzo blinked slowly, a slight smile on his lips. “It is late. I am going to my quarters now.”

Jesse tipped his hat to him, like a gentleman and looped a finger into his pocket. “G’night.” He watched as Hanzo turned and slowly left the room, smiling like a fool at the empty doorway. He felt for the man. Hanzo was a man of proud man. Not the type of person to ever let his guard down around others, and here Jesse caught him twice now in positions where he let his guard down. He could also sleep through explosions as well as Hana’s laughter. Jesse would admit though, it felt rather nice to have someone resting against him and to feel wanted. He smiled as he flipped off the light, finally realizing what he was missing. “Sonovabitch took my blanket.”


	5. Surrender

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, my hands are shaky and my knees are weak  
> I can't seem to stand on my own two feet  
> Who do you think of when you have such luck?

“You got somethin’ of mine,” Came a growl from the other side of his room. Hanzo sat up, in a daze. In the doorway stood McCree, his whole body framed in the light from the hall. Hanzo brushed his loose hair away from his face as the room filled with light. McCree stalked forward, like a mountain lion. “I said,” He repeated. “You got somethin’ I want.”

Hanzo had made sure to lock his door. He was acutely aware whenever anything was amiss in his room. How did he miss this loud American breaking into his room? Hanzo was fixed to the spot by those intense amber eyes as the cowboy filled the gap between them in two long strides. 

He was enveloped in those large arms and pushed back onto the mattress as the cowboy straddled his hips, pinning him to the bed. McCree leaned down and caught his throat in his teeth, licking and biting at the exposed flesh. Hanzo gasped as he felt the powerful muscles ripple under his shirt.

Why was he not fighting this? Saying something? Hanzo opened his mouth to protest, but instead, a long, heady moan escaped as the cowboy’s hips thrust downward, sending delicious sensations rippling through his body. His eyes fluttered closed and he leaned away, giving him access to everything.

McCree growled out words Hanzo could not decipher as his mouth moved over his flesh, leaving small bruises in his wake. His beard scratched at his skin exquisitely, forcing another low moan from his mouth.

Hanzo felt wild. He reached up and pulled that the red flannel shirt that adorned the man above him. “Off!” He meant it to come out as an order, instead, it sounded like a plea. McCree sat up and pulled it up, over his head and threw it aside. He sat back on his heels, boots digging into the mattress. “Like what ya see, ronin?” He ran a hand over his own chest downwards, following the line of thick hair that lead into his blue jeans.

Hanzo sat up and grabbed his chest, groping clumsily at the flesh as he began to worship the man, leaving a line of sloppy kisses all over his thick chest, loving the ripple of muscles and the words of encouragement he gave. McCree,s hands moved into Hanzo’s hair, stroking the shaved portion before grabbing a fist of his long hair and pulled, craning Hanzo’s neck upward before forcing a hard kiss onto him. 

McCree was all teeth and tongue. He dominated Hanzo’s mouth with his own, it was a battle for dominance that Hanzo was willing to relent as he felt their tongues intertwined, leaving him gasping for breath in between kisses that left his lips tingling and bruised. He hand in his hair relaxed and moved down Hanzo and settled on the knots to his pants. McCree’s other hand moved down, palming Hanzo’s erection. “Mmm,” His lips moved up to his ear and nipped hard, tugging at the lobe. “You are such a needy little slut.” 

Hanzo shuttered, “Yes…” He panted and grabbed his belt and fumbled with it until it came off. “I need it.” He whined. “Give it to me, Cowboy.”

McCree gave a chuckled and Hanzo’s pants were gone, tossed off the bed with the rest of the clothing. He lay there, naked under the other man’s gaze.

McCree grabbed Hanzo’s hand and brought it up, kissing his knuckles softly and moved to the palm. Hanzo looked on inquisitively as McCree moved to his wrist. His lips moved over his tattoo as he locked eyes with Hanzo as his tongue darted out and traced the outline of the dragon on his arm slowly. Hanzo’s cock twitched at the sight of his slow movements down his arm, kissing at the elbow joint and pulled Hanzo in closer as he moved to his shoulder, still licking at the dragon the whole way. Hanzo moaned louder and wrapped himself around the man as his mouth moved down his chest, taking a nipple into his mouth and biting down.

Hanzo thrust his hips, connecting with McCree’s stomach and held him close. “Oh god!” He cursed and arched his back. McCree’s hands snaked around his middle and grabbed the flesh of Hanzo’s ass, kneading. Hanzo continued to thrust against him, continuing to moan loudly as he held the body close. “Please!” He let out a string of Japanese, begging McCree to fuck him. Begging the big man to dominate his whole body. 

McCree gave another chuckle as a finger moved into Hanzo’s body. “Patience, Darlin’,” His fingers worked quickly, splitting Hanzo open in a delectable fashion as fingers moved into his slick hole. “I’ll do you good.” He lifted his hips up and worked on his pants, pulling his own hard cock out of his pants, and in a fluid motion, Hanzo was seated on the thick rod.

Hanzo shivered and wrapped his legs around McCree, pulling him down to the bed, giving him more leverage. His limbs entwined the large man as he continued to beg for release. 

“McCree! Please!”

He moved powerfully above him, pulling out almost all the way before snapping his hips back. Hanzo moved to meet each thrust with his own, panting and moaning loudly all the while, loving the feel of the coarse hair against his own smooth skin, causing his chest to burn deliciously. His mouth was once again on Hanzo’s neck, leaving even more bruises.

Hanzo was getting close, he could feel the familiar pooling in his abdomen. “McCree!”

“I know, Darlin’,” McCree growled and held his hips, letting out a guttural moan as he snapped Hanzo’s hips down one final time and came. Hanzo felt his body filling with warmth as he shouted the name one last time before arching his hips and spilling himself. 

He felt his body tumbling down and hit the mattress and his eyes snapped open. He was alone. The sun streamed in the side window as a bird chirped outside.

Hanzo groaned and attempted to sit up and found himself engulfed in the red blanket. His lower abdomen gave a low throb, one that he was keenly aware of. He let out a string of loud curses, covering his face. “God damn cowboy!” He snarled and threw the accursed object off himself and stomped into the bathroom, throwing his messed bedclothes into the hamper. He grabbed a towel off the rack and hastily tried to clean the mess off of himself.

He let out a loud growl as he turned the tap of the shower on to high and stepped in. Immediately his skin prickled under the blast of freezing water. He shivered and picked up the bar of soap, making quick work of cleaning his body. By the time he moved to his hair, his fingers were stiff and ached as he worked his head into a lather and dipped his head under the onslaught of frigid water. He groaned and banged his head against the tile. What the hell happened to his life?

It was after ten when Hanzo finally emerged from his dormitory. He needed to dispose of the evidence, that was the top priority. His hair was still wet when he tied it back and even dressed with very little toweling off. He had to rid himself of this embarrassment. 

When he was quite sure no one was in the hall, he headed out with the basket of laundry. His filthy clothes crammed into the bottom, the blanket folded neatly on top. Although he was reasonably sure that nothing touched it, he was still going to launder it before returning. The entire morning episode mortified him still. If he were to be caught…

“Yo!” Hanzo felt his whole being shatter. No. No no no. Anyone else could catch him at this moment, just not him. Genji could always read him like a book. 

He turned slowly, “Good morning, Brother.” He grumbled out.

“Morning! It is practically noon!” He laughed and clapped him on the back. Genji was dressed as garishly today as he had been every other day Hanzo saw him. Today’s outfit consisted of an oversized tee with the neck and arms cut off in a pastel green with the phrase “It’s Meow or Never!” plastered on it. 

“Genji, I do not have time for this,” He muttered and headed down the hall. Being cold and aloof usually gave him a reason to leave. This time it didn’t.

“How did you enjoy the movie last night?” He was all smiles, which infuriated Hanzo more. “I knew it was coming. It is good, yes?”

“The film was abysmal. It lacked character depth and reasoning. It was typical American trash.”

“That why you fell asleep halfway through,” He leaned in. “Or did you just enjoy the company.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Hanzo felt his ears turning pink. “It was a dull piece. I saw they you did not even stay until the end.”

“I’ve seen it before. It’s got a great ending, but I had places to be if you know what I mean.”

“No,” Hanzo said quickly. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Genji insisted on following him down the hall, a swagger in his step. “I thought, which how things were progressing last night, that sticking around until the end would...end things. Certain parties would get cold feet and sparks wouldn’t fly. I say my estimation was right on.”

Hanzo walked with purpose, ignoring his brother’s ramblings. “If you are asserting that the Korean girl and the Brazilian man left together, I must agree, they appear to be seeing each other.”

“Brother,” Genji sighed. “You don’t have to hide it from me. I understand. You are an adult.”

Hanzo let out another sigh. “I am telling you, Brother, I have no idea to what you are referring then.” He rounded the corner and hoped that would be the end of the conversation. To his chagrin, it wasn’t. 

“So,” His voice kept its sing-song candor. “Where is Jesse this morning?”

Hanzo dropped the basket and turned on his brother. “Why would I have any inclination on where that buffoon spends his mornings?” He snapped. “Why do you insist that I have anything to do with him?”

“Because I know what you did last night,” Genji poked his cheek. “And you are annoyed enough to confirm my thoughts.” He poked him again.

“And what did I do last night besides-” It dawned on him, slowly. “You think that I slept with him?”

“Well, yeah. We were all there last night. We saw you and him together. We all just assumed to leave you alone and you would...naturally come together. Wait, you didn’t?”

“No, of course, I didn’t! Why would I?” His face was scarlet, though he wasn’t sure if it was from anger or embarrassment. “He is so….and I am…” He faltered at the words, flailing his arms as he spoke. “And furthermore, why would you assume he would be interested in me?”

Genji stood there, calmly. “Well...because he is gay.” He said, matter of factly as if Hanzo should have known. “And you are as well. We just assumed that...” Genji trailed off.

Hanzo stood in the hallway, mouth agape for longer than Genji felt comfortable. “How many people? He left the question hanging in the air.

“Not many...just me….Master Zenyatta. Lena, Hana, Lucio..” He trailed off again, leaving his list there. Essentially, everyone was the answer. Genji looked at the basket. “It looks like you have a lot of laundry to do. And I have work things to work on.” He nodded and backed away. He was not going to turn his back on his brother for any reason. Once he was out of range, Ganji turned and sprinted away.

Hanzo snatched up the basket that sat at his feet. His ears still were pink. This was that cowboy’s fault!

______________

 

“Hello, Jesse McCree.” Jesse nearly leaped a foot in the air at the greetings. He whipped around and face the serene face of Master Zenyatta. The omnic monk sat on the couch of the common room, legs crossed. He looked up at McCree, dropping the magazine he was reading into his lap. 

“Oh, hey there Mr. Zenyatta. Just Jesse is fine. Or McCree. Whatever.” Jesse tipped his hat to the monk. “It is good to see you again, sir.” He said. He felt very….uncomfortable around the omnic. It wasn’t that he was anti-omnic. He could not have cared less about personal beliefs. The best beliefs were the silent ones, in his opinion.

What bothered him was the fact he could not get a good impression of him. His face was always placid and serene. It was completely unreadable. Jesse always prided himself on his ability to read people. It was a skill he acquired as a boy and perfected in Deadlock. But omnics were different. It made him feel useless.

“Genji said the movie last night was quite enjoyable. I wish to partake in your next movie venture.” He said pleasantly. 

“We would be glad to have ‘ya.” McCree bent down and picked up a discarded can from the floor and tossed it into the recycling bin across the room. “I believe Lena is pickin’ the next movie. She likes comedies.”

Zenyatta gave a little hum. “Miss Oxton is a humorous individual. Thank you for including me.” His gaze followed another can that flew into the bin. “You have excellent aim, McCree.”

Jesse blinked. “Oh, well….yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I try.”

“I make you uncomfortable.” It was a statement. 

Jesse’s eyes went wider. “Naw. It ain’t that. I mean, it ain’t the whole omnic thing. There’re lotsa nice alternative people.” He fumbled over the words, trying to explain. “I ain’t good with….religious like folks.”

Zenyatta chuckled. “I do not judge you, McCree. You are not the first person to say that. I do appreciate you articulating that to me though. I am grateful.” Zenyatta set the magazine on the table next to him and began to help to pick up the trash around the room. “What is it about religion that concerns you?”

McCree sighed, “Most people ain’t comfortable talkin’ about their personal beliefs.” A pause hung in the air. “And it ain’t religion I have a problem with. It’s people pushin’ their beliefs.”

“And you think I have an agenda?”

“Well, you are a monk. An’ Genji’s been askin’ anyone who’ll listen about enlightenment. It ain’t bad, and I’m glad Genji’s all spiritual now.”

Zenyatta chuckled again. “Has he asked you to meditate.”

“Well…” He looked down. “No.” He finally said. 

Zenyatta placed the trash into the bin. “Genji came back to Overwatch because of his family. He sees you and the other members of Overwatch as his family. He believes in this organization. He also wishes to reconnect with his brother. He has been full of rage for years. He is trying to find peace.”

“I was under the impression he found peace.”

“Peace is ever changing. It is an ambition, something to strive for. Genji is at peace with himself, but he still seeks to make peace with others.”

The two worked in silence as the room came back together. It was uncomfortable, working so near the monk. “So why did you come here?” McCree needed to fill the silence with noise. The quiet was deafening.

“Me?” Zenyatta turned. “I followed Genji.”

McCree blinked. “That all?”

“I like Genji. I care about him,” Zenyatta seemed to smile. “Is there any better reason to follow someone?”

____________________

One load was done. Hanzo sighed and began to hang up shirts and threw other things into the dryer. One thing he prided himself on (among every other thing he prided himself on) was his ability to care for himself. He learned how to cook full meals, clean and disinfect, darn holes in clothing and how to properly launder his things.

He hummed as he worked. Most people found this tedious work. Hanzo found it calming. It was work with a purpose that required very little skill on his part. It was routine.

“Hey there, ronin!” 

Hanzo closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steeling himself. “Cowboy,” He greeted. He was still angry at the damn American. Rumors were being started about him and McCree was the reason for them all.

“Look at you! Wearing real clothes!” He leaned against the door frame. His eyes moved slowly over the other man.

Hanzo felt himself go red again. He was forced to wear his athletic clothes today. He knew he looked ridiculous in the tight running pants and a loose tank top. He felt too casual, but it was the only thing that was clean at the moment. 

Hanzo began to prepare his second load. It was going to be the blanket. He reached for it when Jesse moved over in two long strides. “Hey! My blanket!” He smiled and snatched it up before Hanzo had a chance to stop him. “I was gonna ask you for it back. I was sure it was gone forever, the way you disappeared last night.” 

As he spoke, Hanzo’s face contorted to one of pure horror. “I will wash it before returning it.” He reached out and snatched at the offending item.

“Naw, ain’t no need,” He stepped just out of his way, forcing Hanzo to be off balance, smiling at his frustration.

“I insist,” He pivoted and made another grab. 

“Ah, Honey, you just slept in it, it ain’t dirty from just that.” He moved with the pivot and danced around with the smaller assassin. Hanzo was pretty damn cute with pink cheeks. “It ain’t like you used it as a cum rag.”

Hanzo’s shoulders tightened and his jaw clenched. His whole face went red at that comment. “The….machine is ready for a load.” He managed to say, his voice was eerily calm.

Jesse smiled at that and bunched up the blanket and held it close. “Is it that important to your pride that I wash the damn thing?” He moved over and dumped it into the machine and started it. “There, that all?”

Hanzo’s cheeks were still very pink, “Thank you.” He mumbled.

Jesse leaned against the machine, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Hanzo maneuver around the laundry room, putting things away. “So this has an hour on it. What else are you up to today?”

“Why do you care?” He asked.

“Well, I figured at this stage of the game, we were hittin’ it off as friends,” He tipped his hat back. “Friends are interested in what each other is doin’.”

“I planned on going for a run,” He mumbled out. “To the point and back.”

“A run?” He looked him over again. “That why yer wearin’ that get up?”

Hanzo’s ears went pink at the tips again. “That was my plan. I go for a run most mornings.”

“Late start?” He asked when he didn’t get a response, Jesse changed tactics. “Mind company?”

Hanzo chuckled as he headed into the hall. “You want to come on a run with me? You do understand that it is a run, right? I don’t walk. I train.”

“Are you insinuatin’ that I don’t train? I train.” he stalked out after him. “I’m a goddamned legend with my speed and agility.Now, don’t you laugh!” 

Hanzo chuckled. “You smoke like a dragon and insist on wearing cowboy boots and jeans everywhere. You could not keep up with me.”

“Honey, I can keep pace with you. I ain’t no old man. I still got the moves.” He draped an arm over Hanzo’s shoulder. “Just lemme grab my gear and I will run circles around your tiny ass.” he shook him slightly. He led Hanzo along the hall to his own dorm. “Gimme ten and I’ll be ready for ya.”

He opened the door and stepped in, flipping on the lights. “Dun mind the mess.” He stepped into the room, over a small pile of cans and dumped a pile of clothing off a chair and kicked it away. “Take a seat.” He grabbed a few things off the top of another pile of clothes and headed into the bathroom.

Hanzo decided it was best to stay in the doorway. McCree’s room felt overwhelmingly small. The same furniture that was in Hanzo’s room was here as well; a full-size bed, small dining table with two chairs, dresser, and end table. His room was arranged quite differently though. The bed was crammed against the far wall. A pile of laundry lay at the end. On the floor, scattered around were empty beer cans and an ashtray. The dresser was pressed up, next to the headboard. The two bottom drawers were closed. The top drawer hung open, his holster hanging off the corner. No gun sat in it through. The gun lay on top, in the only clean space in the whole room, it was obviously a place of honor.

The window had a blue serape draped over it, keeping all the sunlight out and making the room feel more closed off. A small cactus sat in the corner of the window. It was still green and alive but was covered in cobwebs. 

Under the window was the table. It was filled with empty bottles and magazines. His work tablet also laid there without any safety cover, exposed. Even from his distance, he could see the grubby finger marks. One chair was pulled out, obviously where McCree sat, as the bottles seemed to radiate from around that spot. Over the back of the chair hung a worn leather jacket. He could see an emblem on the shoulder, but could not make it out the , but could see part of a skull. The other chair was pushed into the table as far as it would go with a large cardboard box in the seat, the box looked to be filled with useless knick-knacks. He could see a snow globe, several novelties shot glasses, a large orange and red decorative rock, some books as well as a whole world underneath that were not visible.

The end table sat near the bathroom door, that was still closed. It held a pile of laundry on top of it, obviously dirty. 

His walls were littered with old posters, some from Overwatch’s glory days like the recruiting posters. Maps of the world were also pinned up. It seemed as if he wanted to cover every inch of the white walls with something loud and distracting. Old pictures sat near the door, near Hanzo. of people he did not recognize. A small boy with sun-soaked brown skin and long messy hair sat on an old man’s shoulder’s, smiling a big, toothless grin at the person holding the camera. Another picture showed two old ladies sitting in front of a large cake that said “Feliz cumpleaños Lita Rosa!” in a bright blue frosting. Both women looked happy. 

“Hey,” McCree stepped out of the bathroom. He wore gray sweatpants and a dingy, black t-shirt with an ancient band logo on it. For once, Hanzo noted, he was not wearing cowboy boots, a garish belt buckle or hat. He looked almost human. “So what is the plan?”

“I said I plan on running. I usually go from the Rock to South Battery and back.” He left the pictures alone. “But that would be too far.”

“And why is that?” McCree grabbed a water bottle and headed out with him.

“It is nearly six kilometers there. Back is another six,” he smirked. “For your American brain, it’s about four miles.”

Jesse grumbled something about not being an idiot and knowing how long a kilometer was. “And what makes you think I can’t handle twelve kilometers?”

Hanzo gave a slow shrug. “Instinct. I also don’t want to have to carry you back after you cramp up and vomit.” He headed outside. “No, I was thinking instead we go north, into the city. That way if you get sick, we can get a taxi back here.Plus, it is only half the distance.”

“Now that ain’t fair. I am an agent of Overwatch. I am your senior officer. Treat me with more respect.”

“Sorry, sir.” Hanzo gave him a mocking salute. “I don’t want your noble vomit on my shoes, sir.”

Jesse smirked at that. He was coming to like this man’s humor. “All right then. I wager I can make it all the way downtown without needin’ a break.”

Hanzo laughed and moved his legs into a wide stance and began to twist, stretching himself out. “Cowboy, if you make it out there without stopping once, I will be amazed.” Hanzo bent down at the middle and leaned towards his right leg, stretching out his hamstrings. Jesse choked at the sight.

“What’ll ya give me?”

Hanzo shot him a look as he moved to his left leg. “You want a prize for getting there? Typical American.” He grumbled, then his voice went very soft as if he were bribing a child. “I will buy you an ice cream.” 

Jesse caught himself staring and turned away, trying to recall the stretches Gabe made him do when they trained together. He instead lifted a leg back and stretched it out. He remembered doing this when he was on his middle school track team. “A whole ice cream!” He laughed. 

“Then what will you give me when you fail?” Jesse looked over and Hanzo was still twisting himself up like a pretzel. He felt a sudden tingle in his abdomen. “So if I stop to say, tie my shoe, I have ta give you a ?”

“Correct. What will you give me?”

Jesse shrugged. “I...have no idea what you would want.” He said, stretching his arms over his head. Fuck. He was out of shape, wasn’t he?

Hanzo continued to stretch in silence, then, “I want access to the training room near my dorm. I am not an agent yet. I have to use the facilities on the opposite side.” 

Jesse stopped. “Oh...I could...probably get that paperwork through. Why do you want that one?”

“Showers,” Hanzo stood up fully. “The hot water does not work in my room. I would like to take a hot shower.”

“Hell, you mean you’ve been living with ice showers since you got here?” Jesse moved over. “That ain’t right. You talk to Winston about that?”

“He said it should be operational, according to the computer system.”

“I’ll do you one better, I’ll look at that shower for you. I may not look it, but I am mighty handy.”

Hanzo smiled as he looked Jesse up and down, placing buds into his ears. “I believe you are good with your hands.” He turned, walked a few steps, then started to run.

It took Jesse a full three seconds to get his wits about him before he followed.

_____________________

“I still say you cheated. There was no way that you could have run that distance.” They decided to walk back to base, mostly because McCree insisted he could not run while eating a double scoop.

Hanzo assured him that he was just talentless, that a highly trained elite ninja, such as himself, could run while eating as well as never leave a trace behind. Jesse insisted that he was an American, and that treats like this were meant to be savored. Hanzo made a scene of rolling his eyes dramatically, before agreeing.

“How could I cheat?” He asked. “I was right beside you the whole time. You watched me.”

“It’s some trick of the light with the sun.” Hanzo insisted. He made a motion to Jesse’ metal arm. “You have been enhanced. It is just not fair to those of us without enhancements.”

Jesse let out a bark of laughter at that. “Aw, hell, now you are gripping at straws. And you wanna talk about enhancements. I know your brother. He told me about the dragons. I’m thinking you cheated. You ain’t even runnin’ you are having mythical beings push you along.”

“Mmm,” Hanzo nodded. “You figured me out it’s all dragons. I admit defeat. You won. Barely.”

Jesse finished his ice cream without comment. That was mostly true. He was nearly gagging by the time they reached the city, but his pride pushed him on. “Barely is still a win though.” He sighed as they headed into the base. “Gimme about five minutes to wash up, an’ I’ll come see about your pipes. If you wanna shower now, I can let you use my facilities.”

Hanzo grimaced. “Your room is--”

Jesse shrugged. “The maid's on vacation. It’s up to you.”

“I think your maid quit...I can wait if you think you can actually fix my shower.”

“I’ll give it a once-over. No guarantees I can get it today. If Athena’s system says it should be givin’ hot water, it may be a bigger issue.”

Hanzo tightened his lips, weighing out his options. He could take a cold shower again, go to the workout center and have others around, or use McCree’s (which could be disgusting).

“I clean my shower,” He said, almost reading his mind. “I just have a problem with recycling in my room. I ain’t dirty.”

“I will get a change of clothes and meet you in your dorm,” Hanzo said he turned and headed away. Once he was out of sight, Jesse bolted to his room and went about filling trash bags with bottles and trying to make his room presentable. Laundry filled the basket, garbage was taken out to the large bins. Hell, he even made his bed before jumping into his own shower which, he actually did scrub out.

Jesse stepped out and slipped on clean jeans and a shirt, finding it odd that Hanzo was not there yet. He was sure the archer would have been sitting in his living space and berating him for taking such a long shower. Jesse took the time to finish cleaning his space up, namely pulling the serape down and cramming it into the dresser drawer.

Then came the knock on his door. He was there in two long strides, and Hanzo stepped in. “I apologize for my lateness.” He had a small bag in his hands, obviously his things. “I remembered my laundry and it took more time that I realized.” Hanzo looked around the room. “You cleaned.”

“Yeah, well,” Jesse scratched the back of his head, a nervous tick. “Didn’t want you thinkin’ I live in filth.” 

Hanzo motioned to his bag. “Shower.”

Jesse nodded. “In there.”

Once the other man shut the door and he heard the water start to run, Jesse flopped onto the bed. Hanzo Shimada was in his room. In his shower. Naked. This was the same man that ten years previously he had denounced as a monster. The would-be murderer of his best friend. And worse of all, he actually liked spending time with him. He enjoyed his company.

Jesse groaned and rubbed his face. His beard was becoming long, he tried to get his mind anywhere but on the thought that Hanzo could bend himself in half and had a fantastic ass. He didn’t want to think about the feeling that pooled in the pit of his stomach when Hanzo chided him. 

He groaned loudly and rubbed his eyes with his palms. “I need to get laid…” He groaned.

“Do you?”

Jesse’s eyes shot up. Hanzo leaned against the bathroom doorframe. He was dressed in his usual gi, arms crossed over his broad chest. A slight smirk played on his lips. 

Jesse swallowed. Shit. Shit shit shit. Shit. He gripped the sheets, thinking to all the other times he said something that insulted the other and how angry Hanzo would get. Hanzo sauntered closer to him. “Well, do you?”

Jesse sat there, like a fish, his mouth hanging slightly open as he watched Hanzo’s movements.

“Hmm,” Hanzo slowly dragged his eyes over him. “Well, Cowboy?” He was close enough for Jesse to touch if he just reached out.

Jesse watched as the space between them close. He nodded. “A bit.” Hanzo was close. Dangerously close. In one swift motion, he grabbed him by the hips and pulled him down, into his lap. Fuck it. If he was going to ruin a friendship, he would have fun while doing it.

His hands clung to the back of the black gi, holding Hanzo in his lap as his mouth went to his neck, suckling at the exposed flesh there. He felt the groan ripple through Hanzo’s chest as he held him close. 

Hanzo’s hands went into Jesse’s hair, pulling him in close. “Cowboy,” He let out a gasp as he felt teeth scraping against his flesh. 

“Call me Jesse.” He mumbled and pulled Hanzo’s lips to his, kissing him hard. He felt as if he were in a battle. Hanzo kissed him fiercely as if trying to devour his whole being. Jesse melted into it, allowing the man on his lap to take control. Hanzo tasted sweet, like vanilla. He wanted more.

Jesse thrust his hips upwards, wanting to show him how hard he already was. “Need you.” He mumbled and kissed his neck along with a string of pet names.

Hanzo gasped and gripped his hair tighter, pulling him in. “Jesse,” He moaned out the other’s name. “Slow.” He purred out, his voice a low rumble. “I have nowhere to be.”

That voice went straight to his cock. “Darlin’, I will go all night fer you.” He moved to the knot holding the gi in its place. “I will take the sun outta the sky and give us more time if you want that.” He grabbed the top and threw it across the room, not caring where it landed as he moved his mouth to Hanzo’s chest. He left his metal hand, balancing on Hanzo’s back as the other moved to his exposed pectoral and began to massage the flesh and took his other nipple into his mouth.

Hanzo’s gasp turned into a groan as he leaned into the other, wrapping his arms more tightly around his head. “Jesse!” His hips snapped forward, into his stomach, proving that the other man was just as aroused as he was. Jesse continued his ministrations, leisurely taking his time at exploring the other’s body. His fingers ran up Hanzo’s spine, causing a shiver to ripple through his body.

Hanzo tugged at the shirt Jesse wore, pulling it up until it his arms. Hanzo nearly mewled as he rocked his hips. “Jesse.” It seemed it was all he could manage to say, which was just fine to the cowboy. He pulled back long enough for Hanzo to pull his shirt over his head and once again, he felt Hanzo’s lips on his own. Strong hands cradled each side of his face as he leaned into the hot kiss.

It was not enough. Jesse moved hands to Hanzo’s hips and managed to flip them onto the bed proper and he kissed Hanzo once again, resting on top of him, his hips level with Hanzo’s own as he lazily rolled his hips, grinding into the other and getting a succulent moan as a reward. 

Hanzo’s hands lazily made their way down his back as he deepened their kiss before firmly seized Jesse’s ass and forced him to grind into him harder leaving Jesse to spit out a string of curse words. “Sweetheart,” He moaned into his neck. “If you keep that up, I ain’t going to last to reach the good parts.”

Hanzo chuckled. “Good.” He guided Jesse’s movements and fell back against the pillows, moving his own hips against Jesse.

 

A slight buzz filled the air, followed my a noisy "Chirp chirp chirp!" 

Jesse’s head sprang up, looking at the offending clock, daring it to be a dream. The clock read 3:45, and the sun was still out. Hanzo leaned up, leaving a trail of kisses over Jesse’s jaw, cementing him in this time. It was very real. Jesse let out a groan and fell back down, into Hanzo.

Chirp chirp chirp! The noise came again, this time sounding more grounded. He ignored in, instead focusing all his attention on the man below him. Jesse lifted a leg up, bracing himself on Hanzo's thigh as he continued to roll his hips and gain the most delightful noises from the other man.

Chirp Chirp Chip! It came a third time.

That noise again! He groaned and ignored it again, turning his head and letting the other have full access to his thick neck. Hanzo’s mouth was too good; lips moving just under his ear as hands moved in his thick hair. He felt the bruises beginning to form. He couldn’t remember the last time he had hickeys, but my god, he would wear them with pride.

“Phone,” Hanzo mumbled as it chirped a fourth time as he took his earlobe into his mouth. His voice was filled with annoyance.

Jesse groaned and rolled off, onto his back. He jammed his hand far into his jeans and dug the phone from out of his pocket. He was about to silence the damn thing when he saw the name. Winston. Jesse closed his eyes and steadied himself. This was work related. He cursed and answered “What?” He barked out, angrier than he was intending.

“Wow, hello to you too,” Came Winston’s cheery voice. “I was just calling with some good news! Angela just gave me your paperwork. You are cleared for the field.”

Jesse gripped the phone tightly to his ear as he felt Hanzo’s hands against his belly, running his fingers through the hair there. “Fuck,” he whispered and bit back a moan before speaking louder into the device. “Great. That’s great. I’ll talk to you-”

“--And you are shipping out for your first mission--” Winston apparently did not wait for Jesse’s answer and had continued to talk. Jesse blinked, trying to wrap his mind around what Winston was telling him.

“Wait, what?” He sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. “Hold up, go back. What?”

“I said you have orders for your first mission back,” the damned monkey sounded so proud of himself, it was almost as if they conspired to call him just when things were heating up. “It's a simple pick up job, but she needs--” Jesse let the phone drop to his shoulder as he felt the bed shift under him. He looked back to see Hanzo tying his hair back properly. ”...are you listening to me?” came the muffled voice over the phone.

“Aw, no baby!” He pressed the phone harder into his shoulder. as he turned on the bed, reaching out with his free hand to touch the other. “No no no.” he looked at Hanzo with pleading eyes.

Hanzo just motioned to his phone as he continued to adjust himself. Work came first.

Jesse picked the phone back up. “Unbelievable, Lena," he could practically hear Winston's eye roll as he berated Jesse over the phone. "Was he like this with Commander Reyes?" There was a pause and Jesse could hear Lena respond. "I will never understand why he was the favorite.” 

“Look, when am I shipping out?” Jesse snapped, trying in vain to get Hanzo to stop adjusting himself. There was still hope. Missions took planning and prep before they took off. He could still salvage this!

Winston let out another loud sigh, “I said two hours, you are going to--” He set the phone back to his shoulder as Hanzo slipped off the bed and went to his top and slipped it on silently, without even a backward glance to Jesse. 

“Naw, darlin’. Pumpkin. Apple pie.” He scrambled off the bed and moved to Hanzo, stroking his arms. “No no no. We can still do this. I got this.”

“Two hours to pack and get to the plane,” Hanzo finally said. “Not near enough time.” Those inky black eyes looked up at him, disappointment evident, but every other feature kept its cool exterior.

“I can make it quick, Baby,” Jesse whined. He let his free hand move to his hips, pulling Hanzo close again. Jesse dipped his head and gave tender kisses along his jaw. Hanzo's hand moved, taking the phone from Jesse's hand and placed it up near his ear. 

“As I said, simple extraction job. Former Overwatch sci--” Winston was going over mission details. He could pick that up on the plane. Jesse took the phone back and held it at his shoulder again, desperation evident on his face.

“Twenty minutes, Angel.” He whimpered. His pet names were becoming more erratic.

Hanzo let a smirk play on his bruised lips. “You said you were good for going all night, and now you are telling me you can get it finished in twenty?” He leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips before pulling back. “When you come back.” He promised. He tied the knot, securing his top firmly back in place and was gone, leaving Jesse alone in his room, phone still held near his shoulder.

Jesse stood in the silence of his room, watching the spot where Hanzo just existed. The silence finally broke with the tinny voice of Winston, over the phone receiver. “I interrupt something, didn't I?”


	6. We Sail into Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their guns on fire as we sail into hell  
> I have no fear of death, it brings no sorrow  
> But how bitter will be this last farewell

Jesse slumped back, taking up three seats on the private jet as he laid back, hat tipped over his eyes. Winston was a good man, he had to remind himself. He did not mean to give him the biggest case of blue balls in his life. Jesse wanted a mission. He was the one who wanted to get out and do something. Somewhere in his past, he caused a big upheaval and now the universe was repaying him.

Hanzo was probably back in his room by now, pleasuring himself. He shifted in the seat. What the fuck even happened there? Never in his life had a perfect man jumped into his arms so quickly. He was not sure exactly how he managed to seduce him, but he was nearly positive that a chance like that with Hanzo was once in a lifetime. And he missed that chance.

Jesse sighed as he felt the plane dip slightly. He sighed and reached down into his side bag and fished out the mission dossier. Might as well actually figure out what he was doing here. He tilted his hat back and looked at the file. The city, Johannesburg, South Africa, was displayed on the top of the file, followed by a medical overview. The target appeared roughly a month ago, wandering the streets, confused and in need of medical attention. After recovery, she refused to speak to anyone, instead insisting that she needed Overwatch.

The authorities tried to explain that Overwatch dissolved, that the need for heroes no longer existed in the post-omnic crisis world. The woman insisted. She needed Overwatch. 

Lena had found the article and Winston had researched it. There had been a small research outpost in South Africa, but it was never a place that field agents resided. Mostly, they studied penguins and other native birds. 

Jesse sighed and rolled his eyes. Great. So he was going to look for a bird scientist that may, or may not be deranged. He flipped the papers and had a list of former scientists that worked in the area. The scientist came down with a very convenient case of amnesia as well.

“Are you up to date on our mission briefing?” Jesse craned his neck back and looked at the omnic monk next to him. Overwatch agents traveled in pairs for safety. He was teamed up with the pacifist this time, which seemed fitting.

“Yeah. It sounds a lot more complicated than it sounded when Winston told me,” He groaned and managed to sit up. “Agent cannot remember who she is and remembers being a part of Overwatch or needing Overwatch or...something.”

Zenyatta opened his own mission debriefing. “Overwatch was stated, but it seems vague to the details of what she wanted.” There were pencil markings in his margins. Jesse craned his neck to see. 

“What’s that?” Jesse pointed. “I ain’t got notes.” He looked down at his own, crisp clean report.

“I received it last night,” Zenyatta explained. “Genji was to be my first supervisor in the field, but Genji was called away last minute.” He seemed to smile. “I was taking notes. It helps me focus my thoughts.”

Jesse saw a small cat doodle in with the notes. It was probably the most human thing he had ever seen. He smirked. “So what is troublin’ you about this whole mess?”

“Timing,” Zenyatta stated. “It seems convenient. Talon attacks and agents are called together. Then, within a year, a mysterious scientist with no name or photograph is found roaming the streets and talking about needed an agent. I worry it is a trap.”

Jesse nodded, “Then we walk into this with suspicious minds.” He felt his phone buzz and fished into his pocket and pulled it out, looking down at the screen. It flashed he had a text from someone named “Honey-Bunny”

He unlocked the screen, wondering how drunk he was to give a contact in his work phone the name “Honey-Bunny”.

It was a selfie of Hana and Lucio giving peace signs to the screen. He smiled at it. “Nerd girl.” He smiled as a second text came in. “Good luck! Bring me back a gift! / (˃ᆺ˂)＼” 

He chuckled and replied back to her. “Zenyatta is here, hit him up for presents. He is nicer than me.”

He began to slip his phone back into his pocket when it vibrated again. He groaned. Hana was not going to stop. It wasn’t Hana. It was Genji, he sent him a selfie as well. Genji was wearing one of his favorite ironic t-shirts. This was one that Jesse had bought him last Christmas that stated “Smoking Hot” with two crossed guns on it. Jesse thought it was tasteful, yet offensive to everyone. He had his arm around his brother and was giving him the finger. Hanzo looked very uncomfortable at being touched.

A text came in with it “Get Hanzo a shirt. He needs new clothes. Winston got him a phone. Programed your # in it. ^.~”

Jesse felt his neck get hot. How did Genji know? He gulped and decided to not text back. He could just have that conversation later.

“Why is Miss Song asking me for gifts?” He looked over at Zenyatta. He held his phone in his palm and looked at it, head at a slight tilt. “Is it customary to bring gifts back after a mission?”

Jesse leaned back in the seats once again, chuckling.

_________________

“What are you doing?” Hanzo felt his temper flare as he pushed Genji away from him. Out of nowhere, his brother had just walked up to him, pulled him in close and snapped a photo with his phone in a matter of seconds. “Get off of me.” He shoved him again. “You are a grown man!”

Genji moved into a seat next to him, playing on the phone in his hands. He wore that damn visor that hid his face. Hanzo hated that Genji insisted on wearing it now. “You are in a mood,” Genji stated, his fingers flying over the screen, obviously communicating with someone else. “I am taking you to Angela today for a physical. When your boyfriend gets back you are going to be an official Overwatch member.” He didn’t even look up as he tossed the phone to Hanzo. “Come on,” he stood up and headed out.

Hanzo stood up and followed, unsure about the briskness in his brother’s voice. The way he talked though made him sound like he was playing, “He is not my boyfriend. Why do you keep persisting we are something?” He absentmindedly slipped the phone into his back pocket.

Genji looked back at him, even with the visor on, Hanzo could tell he had that smug smirk on his face. “Because he left an hour ago and you are moping.” Genji fell back so he was next to his brother and poked his cheek. “You only brood like this when you don’t get what you want.”

“You don’t know me anymore,” He mumbled. “I did not even realize anyone had left. No one informs me of the comings or goings of this place.” The two walked down the corridor is silence. Their footsteps were the only sounds reverberating off of the walls. Everyone had a job to do today, leaving the base mostly empty. That was why Genji requested someone else take his place on the mission. 

Hanzo had been there weeks, and at most they had a singular conversation that consisted entirely of Hanzo deflecting every question Genji posed that would reveal anything about his character. Instead, their conversation stayed within a comfortable realm of familiarity. 

“You’re right,” Genji was the one to break the silence, “I don’t know you anymore. I want to though. I do miss my brother.” Hanzo didn’t respond, he just kept walking. Genji continued talking regardless, “I have forgiven you.”

“You say that,” Hanzo stated. “I hear that from you every morning.”

“I did not say it yet this morning,” Genji moved close, practically whispering. “But you were busy this morning.” He nudged Hanzo with his elbow. “Look, you can tell me. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Are you still insisting that I slept with your friend?” Hanzo grumbled out, his ears pinkened as he looked away from him. “I did not and I have not slept with anyone on your team.” He swiftly turned a corner, heading to Dr. Ziegler’s offices. His fists were clenched at his sides as he strode forward. “Nothing happened. Change the subject, we will talk about other things.”

Genji stopped walking, firmly planting his feet to that place. They were close to Angela’s office. He knew the second they stepped foot inside, Hanzo would stop talking to him about anything. He swindled his way out of a mission for the purpose of speaking to Hanzo and getting some answers. Hanzo stopped and turned, still as stoic as ever. “You are completely infuriating,” Genji stated. 

Hanzo’s jaw twitched. It was the first actual emotion he saw on his brother. In all the times they spoke, Hanzo kept a serene demeanor. He would give a small smile and keep his eyes down. He acted interested and kept all conversation light. It was a deflection learned from their mother. 

Genji threw his head back dramatically, and groaned loudly, like when they were children. Hanzo still had not responded to him. “That is all we do now. We talk about other things. Safe things” Genji stalked forward until the two were a breath apart. He continued to talk, now punctuating each sentence with a shove against Hanzo’s shoulder. “You will talk about Yuki and Kyoko and every other girl I used to date. You talk about the arcades and school and things that happened twenty years ago. You talk about Mother and Father at holidays and graduation. Hell, you will talk about anything that happened before I left. You have not even acknowledged what you did to me. And even worse, you refuse to acknowledge that there is life after that.”

Hanzo put a hand to his head, “I know what I say.” He stepped back from Genji’s last hard shove to his chest, wanting some distance between them. He took another step back, not wanting to turn his back on his brother.

“Do you not care about the past decade, Aniki, or do you just wish to think of me as a ghost?” Genji’s words were cutting. He knew it the minute the words left his mouth. Hanzo flinched, his whole body tightening in that instant. Genji knew then that had the upper hand for once. Hanzo was unable to turn and run away. His words had trapped him to that spot. It was now or never. Hanzo could not run, it would be dishonorable. “Is that what you want, for me to be a ghost?”

Hanzo’s eyes were closed, his shoulders tight to his body. His head dropped to his chest. His arms twitched like they wanted to do anything but hang by his sides. It was similar to the pose he took when Father chastised him. “Genji, I--” It came out quietly.

Genji stalked into his space again, crossing his arms over his chest. “I just want to talk, Aniki. Prove to you that I exist.” He reached up and took off the visor, letting it drop to the floor as he looked his brother in the eyes. Hanzo turned away.

“I can’t,” Hanzo physically flinched a second time. Genji strained to hear his words. His voice came out low, shaking. “Please, leave me be, Genji. I came here for you, isn’t that enough.”

“No,” Genji said flatly. “You being here is not enough. I want a relationship with my brother again.” He stepped even further into Hanzo’s space and put his hands on his shoulders. “I miss having my brother around,” He knew it was a risky maneuver. Hanzo kept himself closed off to most people. Hell, Genji could not think of a single person that Hanzo spent his time with. In the past, Hanzo would not let Genji get this close. 

Even before their falling out, Hanzo was perpetually the big brother. He was always cold and kept everyone at arm’s length. He would often say that he did not need friends, he was the heir to the Shimada empire. He deserved underlings. Hanzo was arrogant only saw the world filled with two types of people; those who followed his orders and those who would learn. Genji was the former. He was someone who followed Hanzo, willingly. He would come to Hanzo with troubles and Hanzo would handle them. It was never a two-way street. Hanzo went to no one. In his hubris, he thought he was above them all. Genji knew though, Hanzo was not the same spoiled brat he had been in his early years.

Hanzo’s shoulders trembled. He tried to shake Genji off, but his hands held him down. “Are you even my brother anymore?” 

Genji expected that question. It was the question Genji had struggled with himself. It took years of meditation and spiritual enlightenment to allow Genji the opportunity to accept himself for who he was. Who was he to expect the same from his brother?

Genji’s hands moved down, holding Hanzo’s arms tight in his grip. He looked at Hanzo’s face, trying to read his emotion. Hanzo’s eyes were closed tight, his breathing came out short. He panted. He moved his hands up, cradling his brother’s face. “I have not changed. I am still Genji.” He could feel Hanzo shaking harder in his hands. “I am still a punk kid. I still have the same personality. The same soul. There is only one thing different.”

He took a chance and moved in, pulling Hanzo into his arms, much like Hanzo had done to him countless times. Father and Mother were distant, but Hanzo always knew when Genji had been upset. He would come into his room and without a word, hold him and tell him that everything would be ok. Hanzo always took care of things. “Aniki.” He said.

Genji heard the loud bang before pain registered in his back. His knees gave out and he slid down the wall he had just hit. Genji looked up from the floor to find Hanzo in front of him, his hands were raised still, in front of him. He had hit him. Hanzo had shoved him away. His brother’s eyes widened as he looked down at his own hands. “Genji...I…” He started, his voice dry. He turned and fled.

Genji groaned and rubbed the back of his head. Metal body be damned, getting the wind knocked out of his lungs still hurt. He closed his eyes as he heard the door to his right slam shut and the soft patter of running feet. The next thing he knew, a small light was flashing in his eyes. 

“What were you thinking?” Angela was kneeling in front of him, checking his eye dilation. “You told me you were just bringing him down here, against my better judgment.” She scolded. 

“He needs to get checked out, and you are the only doctor here,” Genji let her work, being completely pliable as she moved his arms over his head in her examination. He had learned long ago the more he fought the tiny woman, the more wicked she became. He looked at her frowning face. Right now, she was a borderline devil. “I just wanted to talk to him while I brought him down this way.” 

Her frown deepened. “I offered to come with you. You told me you would be careful,” She forced Genji to lean forward, inspecting his back. She made a quick examination of him and then shoved him against the wall again, not allowing him to stand yet. He grunted as he moved. He could tell that he would be sore for the next few days. “He hit you.”

Genji looked up and saw the dent in the drywall. “I was not expecting that.” Hanzo hit him harder than he figured. One thing he was still coping with was the fact his cyborg body could withstand more pain than his flesh one. His juicy bits inside were still tender though. 

“You shouldn’t have hugged him.” She mumbled and went about looking at his legs. She sat back and gave him another disapproving look. She moved forward and put her hand on his chest, “Come to my office. I have tea.” It was less of an invitation than a scolding. 

He groaned and pushed himself up the wall until he was standing, slightly bent. He had not expected the blow. Angela maneuvered herself under his arm and led him back into her office slowly, her hand a comfort on his chest. “Are you going to berate me now?” He sank into her sofa and sat back.

Angela moved to the coffee pot and poured two mugs. “Why did you think to do that?” She set the mugs on the table and sat in her own high back chair. “You were the one to warn us about your brother’s temper, about how we should not make sudden movements around him, he was like a tiger and prone to attack?”

Genji sighed and shrugged. “I just…” In hindsight, it was a stupid move. He rubbed his chest. It should have hurt worse. He let the sentence hang in the air as he tried to formulate his words. Angela waited, not moving. “This is the closest I been to him in ten years. And I don’t mean the fact he is here. I mean,” He swallowed. 

“You miss him, I know,” Angela said. “You miss having him as an ally and a friend.”

Genji opened his mouth to continue, but Angela cut him off.

“You cannot have the same relationship you had when you were boys. Too much has happened. To the both of you. You are not the same man that came to Overwatch, looking to inform on your family’s business. He sees you differently.”

Genji laughed and managed to relax a little. “I am taller. Plus, chrome.” 

Angela didn’t laugh. “I cannot make an official diagnosis. And even if I could, I would not be permitted to tell you.” She paused, letting the gravity of her words sink in. It was the doctor’s way of telling information to someone informally. Genji caught her eye. “He seems very depressed.” 

Genji groaned. “He has always been like that though. That has not changed.”

“He had an anxiety attack,” She looked at Genji. “The shaking, unable to move away from you. The way his whole body constricted when you called him that name. He was in a fight then flight response.” She listed his behaviors to Genji slowly. He shook his head. “I think he has been depressed for a very long time,” Angela stated. “Think in his skin for a while. He still thinks of himself as your murderer. You are the closest friend he has here, and he won’t talk to you even. It must be a very lonely existence.”

Genji picked up the steaming mug in front of him. “Master Zenyatta told me something similar.”

“Good, so this is not new information to you. Zenyatta and I agree then, take your time with your brother. Some of us here have not forgotten what he has done, but we are willing to forgive since you are. May I give you some advice?”

Genji nodded.

“Make sure you are open for when he does eventually come. Keep talking to him as well. You are a patient man, these things take time. When he does open up, it may be ugly. He may try and hurt you again to keep you at a distance. I have seen it before, sometimes it is easier to hurt the ones you love, then they are making the decisions, not you. It is harder to be vulnerable.” 

Genji sipped at the mug and made a face as the bitterness hit his tongue. He spat the offending liquid back into the mug. “You promised me tea. This is coffee.”

Angela smiled as she sipped her own. “Bean tea.” She cooed. 

________

Jesse stepped off the plane in a simple pair of dress pants and a blue button-up shirt, complete with tie and sports jacket. One thing Genji taught him in Blackwatch was how to dress himself for undercover missions. Not every ninja stalked the shadows in black pajamas. Most blended into the open. He slipped the aviator sunglasses on as the sun bore down on him. It was chillier in South Africa than he expected, but the suit helped. He made one final mental sweep of his appearance. He wore shined shoes, pants were the appropriate length, belt buckle not ostentatious, but still kept his flair (Brass inset with turquoise stone. It held a traditional southwestern American flair.) It was an old heirloom. And it brought him luck. His shirt was tucked in neatly and his tie was clipped down. His head was bare, deciding to leave his trademark hat inside the plane for this job. He was suppose to blend in. Cowboys rarely blended in outside of his home turf. Instead, his hair was pulled back into a neat bind and his beard was properly trimmed. To anyone who did not know better, he was a businessman.

Zenyatta walked behind him, dressed in a similar fashion. Instead he wore khakis and a pink polo shirt. It felt weird to Jesse, seeing this monk in normal clothes and moving around like a normal omnic. He felt comfortable with the zen master floating around and meditating. The idea of him in an office, crunching numbers or filing paperwork seemed disrespectful. Zenyatta seemed to not mind though.

“The hospital is fifteen miles from our current position. There is a car waiting for us,” Zenyatta said, looking at the notes in his hand. “We are tasked with finding out if this is truly an Overwatch agent or if it is a hoax.

Jesse nodded and turned his fingers into his belt loops as he walked. “Simple job.” His fingers itched to roll themselves around a cigarette. He always felt this way during these kinds of jobs. The pressure would mount and his addiction would call. He usually found time for a smoke break and offhandedly wondered if he could breach the subject with his partner. Zenyatta technically did not have lungs so, technically, second-hand smoke would not affect him so technically it would not be against the rules if he lit up in the car.

His hopes were dashed the second he slid into the driver’s seat and a large “No Smoking” flashed onto the console. These damn robot cars. The rental company installed software into all of them that tracked where you went and what you did while inside. This damn car would tattle on him if he as much as lit up. He rubbed his temples.

“Are you feeling ill, Jesse?” Zenyatta reached forward, fiddling with the vent system. He seemed amused by it all. 

“Naw, just pre-work jitters. Ain’t no thing.” He jabbed at the ignition button and took off down the road, his foot tapping as they turned corners. Zenyatta leaned forward, talking to the on board navigation, telling it politely where to go.

A soft, British woman sounded. “Johannesburg Hospital. You will reach your destination in fifteen minutes. You are on the fastest route.”

Jesse looked over at him. “You know it ain’t got a brain. That’s just a nav system.”

“It never hurts to show kindness, you never know who will appreciate it,” Zenyatta sat back. “Besides, I am a machine.”

Jesse felt his neck flush and turned back to the road. “But yer different, ya know. You got, like, free will an’ brains.”

“I suppose so, but you would give the care to treat a dog with kindness, and the animal does not have the same ability to think that you or I do.”

“Turn left,” The perky woman on the nav system said. In his mind, he wondered if it always sounded that chipper.

Jesse thought about it softly, “Yeah, suppose you’re right. He smirked though. “If my phone is being a bitch though, I’m still free to yell at it, right?”

“Only if it is being a bitch.”

He chuckled and made another turn, following the nav system. This whole operation feels hinky, you know? Strange place for an Overwatch agent to wash up.” 

“Then this will be a quick mission. It should not take up long to decide if this was real or not.” Zenyatta relaxed back.

Jesse tapped the steering wheel and began to hum and old tune to fill the silence. His mind wandered. The first time he went undercover with Reyes and Genji, it had been an absolute disaster. They had to go to a swanky hotel in Canada to bug an old broad’s room. Drugs had been smuggled into Canada and intel found the hotel to be the central location of the deals. The old woman had been a socialite. It was well publicized that she would have nightly parties and they were called in to try and get evidence that transactions were happening. Long story short, McCree had walked in with all his cowboy swagger and he walked out with a gunshot wound to his arm.

“Your destination is on the left,” The smooth voice of the nav system announced. Jesse turned and parked the car. The hospital was large, but it took very little sweet talk to the nurse at the front desk to get a little information. Soon, the two of them stood in the elevator, on their way to the fifth floor. 

The two stood next to each other in the empty elevator. “You lied to that woman.” He said to Jesse.

“We ain’t exactly legal here. Sometimes you gotta bend the truth ta keep people safe. If we walked in here saying ‘Hey! We are reformin’ Overwatch, ya know, the organization you thought was unnecessary. We wanna see if this kooky crazy person is actually a former scientist, do ya mind?’ It would not end well fer any of us.”

Zenyatta sat quietly, looking over at him. He did not say another word until the elevator doors opened.

A doctor was waiting for them to talk as they stepped off. He took them both to his back office and McCree let Zenyatta take over the conversation. The facts were thus: Over a month ago a woman came into their care, she was disorganized in her thoughts and actions. She could not speak any English but was fluent in Chinese. It took them time to get a hold of a translator, but in the meantime, they realized she was more than capable of understanding when spoken to. She found alternative ways to communicate and spent her time working tinkering with anything that she could and ended up fixing a broken radiator.

Jesse leaned in. “Our notes indicate that she has been askin’ about Overwatch. Can you elaborate?” He looked at the doctor.

“Which organization did you say you work for?”

“The UFP,” Zenyatta stated. “The Federation.” He looked serenely at the doctor “May we speak to her now?”

The young doctor flipped through his charts, his face grim. “We are looking for answers to her identity, but-”

“Hold up now,” Jesse leaned forward, holding up a hand. “You aren’t backin’ out on this? We lost one of our scientists in a boating accident some months back and someone fittin’ her description is sitting in your hospital now, and you are really going to deny us the opportunity to reunite her with her family?”

“I-” The doctor started again.

Jesse pulled out his phone. “I can’t believe we came down here for nothin’. I am getting the head of this department on the phone to-”

“Wait!” The doctor held up his hand. “Put your phone away. I have prepared her to talk to you, she knows you are coming. I just don’t want you getting your hopes up. She claims she works for Overwatch.”

Zenyatta leaned back. “Many of our research scientists were once Overwatch. They had top research facilities. It is possible her mind is jumbled, as you say.”

The doctor relented and took them down the hall, to a room near the end of the hall. He knocked on the door, then opened it. “Good afternoon.” he said cheerily, you have visitors, Mei-Ling.”

Jesse poked his head in and saw a small woman sitting on the steel framed hospital bed. She said something to the doctor that Jesse did not understand in one bit.

The doctor turned. “As I said, nothing but Chinese. She does understand us though. I will get a translator for you.”

“There is no need,” Zenyatta stated. “I am fluent.” He turned and said something back at her in a dialect Jesse again did not understand. The two bantered at each other and soon, both were laughing at jokes Jesse still did not understand. Zenyatta turned back. “Jesse, give me your phone.”

Jesse snapped out of the Mesmer that the chatter had put him under. He drew out his phone and handed it over. “What’d ya know?” he asked the omnic. 

“She is a scientist from the Antarctic base. She stated she is in the system. Your phone was upgraded with a fingerprint analyzer. We will tell if she is actually Overwatch that way.”

Jesse nodded and watched as the girl took her thumb and pressed it to the screen. It took less than a second for the screen to flash green and the name ‘Mei-Ling Zhou/31/Environmental Scientist/Antarctica. “Huh, look at you.” He nodded toward her. “Welcome to the team then. I’ll go talk to the doctor then, see if we can’t get you an official release.” His voice was low. He took back the phone and slipped into the hall. He sent a quick text to Winston of this woman’s details.

A door slam caught Jesse’s attention. This was a psychiatric ward. Loud noises were uncommon in places like this, where anxiety levels were super high in most patients. He put the phone away, ignoring the reply from Winston as he stepped down the hall. The nurse’s station was empty, computer monitors on.

The hair on his neck prickled as he calmly made his way back to Mei-Ling’s room. He kept his back to the room. “Zen, get her things, we are goin’ out the fire escape.” He mumbled in, his eyes still on the hall. His hand moved slowly to his back, where a holster kept Peacekeeper hidden from detection. “We leave now.”

The door opened further and he reached down, grabbing the woman’s hand and looked at her. “We’re gonna keep you safe, I promise,” He looked down into her wide, brown eyes. She responded, but he did not know her words. 

The hallway was devoid of people. Jesse hugged the wall, keeping Mei-Ling securely behind him as they moved. Zenyatta took up the back, he hunched over and whispered to her. On the way to the room he had seen hardly any people in the halls, but nurses still walked the halls, televisions were still on. It was now silent. “Ask her how many people are on this floor.” He mumbled back.

Zenyatta did. 

“Three, right now. There were seven, but they transferred to specialized places.”

“And how many doctors or nurses?”

Mei-Ling relayed that there was only the one doctor, currently. Three nurses. They took lunch around noon but staggered when they all went so there was at least one person on the floor at all times. She was the only one there for memory issues. Two were there for depression related issues and the third was being held for 72 hours for reasons unknown to her. The halls were normally quiet, but this felt weird.

They made it to the end of the hall and to the fire exit. “Zen, here is what you are going to do. Get Mei into a car. You are going to the airport now and taking off.”

“Jesse-”

“Do not argue. Something really hinky’s happening here.” He spoke slowly, more articulately. “You get her onto a plane and you get her back to the base. I will meet up with you later. He looked at his watch on his wrist. “Once I open this door, an alarm will sound. Whatever is waiting for us is gonna know where we are. I am going straight down, get onto the next floor, get a wheelchair. One floor down is maternity. Mei can pass as a mother if you throw a blanket over her. Blend in. The other side of the hall has another fire escape. Take her down that one. Get her to safety.” 

Jesse held his six-shooter out. He looked to Mei. “Got it?”

She nodded, holding Zenyatta’s arm tight in hers. 

Jesse nodded and forced the door open, the loud buzzer sounded immediately as he flew down the flight of stairs to the next floor, he pulled the door open and forced Zenyatta into the chaos of the maternity ward. New parents and doctors were flying around the halls as pure pandemonium erupted. The lights of the fire alarm flashed as the loud noises overtook all other noise. He watched them until Meiling disappeared into the crowd being shuffled. People came at the fire escape. Jesse turned and descended the stairs, leaping over the railing at places to make it out. 

At the second floor, he hit a wall of people being shuffled out. He tried his best to push through the crowd. He holstered his weapon and managed to keep low as he stepped into the daylight. He slipped on his sunglasses and kept his guard up. He dipped low in the crowd and prayed to any deity that would listen for the fraction of the chance that this was him being paranoid and that there was nothing. He would rather explain to Winston that his instincts were rusty than why there were dead civilians.

A shrill whine shone through the air. He looked up in time to see a lamp pole explode in a cascade of glass shards. People began to scream and run as panic set in. A sniper. Jesse ran himself. Towards where his car was parked. He had to it. There was a good chance they saw them come in and knew which vehicle was his. He could lead them away with that.

A rat-tat-tat of bullet sprayed over the crowd, hitting a second-floor window and showered the people below in a rain of glass. Whoever it was, was not aiming to kill. They wanted the panic. Jesse cursed and pulled out his weapon once again. It was obvious now that there was more than one assailant. Two types of weapons. 

Jesse bolted across the street, keeping low and breaking away from the crowd of people scrambling to return inside the safety of the building. He assumed the assault would come from the inside. Outside was too open. Too many witnesses. Too many chances to let the target escape. Whatever this attack was, it was meant to be visible. To cause chaos and to be witnessed.

The sniper shot rang out again and pinged off of the pavement behind him. Jesse dropped behind a car and braced himself against it. Adrenaline kept him going. He was spotted, so the sniper would be taking a second shot if he was in sight. Hell, if the sniped spotted Mei or Zen, they would be shot. He scrambled around the car and threw open the passenger side door, diving into the vehicle. In his younger years, it would have been easier to crawl into the driver seat. He was smaller then, more nimble. At this point in his life, he spent a great deal of time trying to get bigger. He cursed at his institutionalized ideals of manhood and kept as low as he could, moving around the cramped space.

Another shot. The passenger side window shattered and Jesse felt pinned to the seat, a burning radiated out from his left side. He forced himself into the driver’s seat, ignoring the streak of red left in his wake. He jammed his thumb onto the ignition and the vehicle roared to life. Pedestrians be damned, he floored the accelerator and sped out of the parking lot, over a barrier and onto the main road.

The Nav system flared to life. “Turn left.” It ordered. Instead of the calming British voice from earlier, it was now cold. Hardened. 

Jesse looked down at it, his mind hardly registering anything but the throbbing in his head and side. He moved his right hand down and pressed, feeling the oozing of his blood over his fingers. He let out a lengthy groan.

“Agent McCree!” The voice on the nav system was more persistent. “Turn Left. Now!”

Jesse hung left, the car bouncing at it hit a small alleyway street. He looked at the small tablet in the middle of the dash. His mind reeled back to when Zenyatta was kind to it on the way over. Oh god, the car was saving him because they said pleases and thank yous.

“Black car. Five hundred feet away. It is trailing you, Agent McCree. In fifty feet, turn right, then another right. You need to lose it.”

Jesse did as he was told, the car squealing as he made quick turns in tight spaces. He took off, heading back in the direction he came, but in a different alley way. “The agents I was with-” He started

“Taken care of. They were not detected. Turn left. You will be on the main road.”

Jesse turned. He was not sure how the navigation system knew where Zenyatta was, but then again, it was a navigation system. It was connected to satellites

“Focus, Agent McCree!” The voice shouted. “You are not bleeding out in South Africa! Is there a bullet in you?”

Jesse shook his head. His face was beginning to feel numb. “I...I dun know…”

“Damn it, McCree! What were you taught about watching your back? Take a right, get on the highway.” 

He heard Police Sirens. A block over was the hospital. There were already black helicopters circling the building and a faint ratta-tat of gunfire. “Why did you bring me back here?” He demanded.

“Slow down, you lost the tail. Blend into traffic.” Jesse groaned and did as he was ordered. “Car, I am not going into that hospital for stitches.” He was bleeding. Obviously, the car was taking him back to the hospital. Damn nav system did not understand the danger.

“No one said to stop. The airport is fifteen minutes if you follow this road. Do not raise anyone’s suspicion.” 

“Gee, the car with bullets in it is really not suspicious,” McCree grunted as he pressed his side harder. He could hear the pounding in his ears. “Shit, I can’t--” His car rolled to a stop. The car behind him honked angrily.

“ʾAna ḥaḥmīk,” The nav system said quietly. A whiz sounded through the air and he managed to take a deep breath. “Get in there!” The voice commanded. “The plane leaves in ten minutes, with or without you!”

Jesse grunted and gripped the wheel hard in his left hand. He turned the wheel and ran up on the sidewalk. Blending in be damned, he was going to bleed out. And he rather bleed out with people who could identify his corpse.

Police sirens wailed to life behind him, but they sounded so far off in the distance. His whole body ached, his back soaking wet from sweat and blood. There was no way he would make it...No way. The voice ordered him on, telling him where to turn and eventually told him to floor it. 

The car accelerated to dangerous speeds and careened into the chained link fence, tearing through the metal with an awful shriek. The front end of the car bounced off the tarmac as he sped along. Somehow he at least made it to the airport. Not in a conventional way, but he could at least find their private plane from here. He turned the car and kept it at the high speed. Jesse felt a haze over his eyes. And he slumped forward. His hand felt numb. The car was speaking to him again, but she sounded underwater. The voice though...had he heard it before?

“Breaks!” It shouted again. “Jesse McCree, you are not dying on me, ḥabībī.” 

Jesse slammed both feet on the breaks, his chest hitting the steering wheel as the car came to a dead stop, right in front of the plane. He looked up and saw Zenyatta and Mei, both running down the steps of the plane as he felt the darkness coming over him. The only sound came from the cheery voice of the computer navigation system in a perky, British voice..“You have reached your destination,”


	7. Never Let Me Go

It was a wonder he even made it to the plane in time. It was even more miraculous that he had been on a plane with the likes of Zenyatta and Mei. The former overwatch scientist had lived in Antarctica for the better part of her adult life and had learned from isolation what happened when disaster stuck. Zenyatta said he meditated on it, helping to calm Jesse’s mind and body to heal him. Angela had not understood his metaphysical state, but between the two of them, they were able to stabilize him on the plane until he made it into surgery.

It was touch and go for a while. Jesse had lost almost three pints of blood. His blood pressure crashed while on the table. Luckily, no major organs were torn. It went through the muscle. Angela spent most of the surgery telling Jesse what a damn fool his was. Mei became her assistant in the surgery, quietly assessing what was going on and handing her tools that she needed. She was positive that he put himself into that position. Jesse always did have to be the big, damn, American hero. 

He made it into recovery and was breathing on his own though. His vitals returning to normal in record time, much faster than Angela had ever witnessed a recovery like that ever. It was almost like her Caduceus system had been immediately after it happened.

Mei directed her attention to a vial that was lodged in Jesse’s shoulder. They had found it on the plane when they began to perform emergency actions on it. Angela was not sure how, but somehow Jesse McCree had an angel with him that afternoon.

He spent a night in her Intensive Care Unit before she lessened the severity of his wounds after he proved he could breathe on his own. The wound, thankfully, was a through and through. Authorities had found the bullet lodged into the blood-soaked car. 

Jesse had awoken three times since returning. The first time was on the operating table. He was properly sedated without a word. The second time he tried to pull out his breathing tube while in the ICU. Angela had been there to restrain him. He talked, but nothing he said were actual words, just noises. Finally, the last time he awoke, he had told Angela about how he wanted to recruit the Volvo they had rented into Overwatch. He insisted that the vehicle was exactly the organization needed. She sedated him again and he was out.

It had been three days since their return. Lucio took over as the primary field medic along with Zenyatta while she kept vigil over Jesse. Winston allowed her time off, insisting though that if any major injuries happened, she would have to be called away.

Jesse grew stronger every day, which was promising. 

Angela’s spot was near the right side of his bed, so she could hold his hand when she felt him shift in his sleep. The touch seemed to calm any nightmares he had. The room was bare, except for two potted plants, one was an aloe vera plant with a card placed in it. Someone else had brought in Jesse’s cactus from his room.

Genji said when he came to visit that the team decided Jesse would scoff at the idea of flowers, they reminded him of funerals. The team insisted on beers. Angela wholly disagreed, but they had overruled her. She did agree on the flowers though. Flowers reminded her of death. The shadows grew long and soon the room was enveloped in darkness. Still, she remained by his bed. She wanted to be there when he woke up. She wanted to berate him for his stupidity. 

She rested her head on her arms as she leaned on the empty spot of the mattress. She existed in half-sleeps now, waking fully at every movement and noise. It was nearly ten when the bed shifted and she heard him groan. 

She turned the side lamp on and took his hand. “Jesse?”

He smiled up at her. “Got hit by a dump truck.” His voice was like gravel. She moved and helped him get some water as she explained what had happened.

So three days today or is it goin’ on four now?” He shifted slightly and looked down at his left arm, eyeing the stump and cursing loudly. “Aw hell.” He groaned. “Did they haveta blow off my arm again?”

“It was damaged. Winston is currently working on repairing the joints, but we have been a little overwhelmed lately.”

Jesse smiled. “Did I make the news?” His right hand grasped Angela’s. His grip was strong. “I bet I look good on my new wanted poster.”

“No wanted poster. And you were an unnamed victim in a hospital attack.”

“Aw hell,” He moaned out. “I go and get myself all blown to hell and all I get is designation as a fucking victim? Not even a hero or savior?”

Angela rested her head on his hand, looking up at him. “You very nearly died, and here you are wanting to be the fancy hero.” She smiled though, unable to properly scold him. “Don’t worry me like that again, Jesse McCree.” She kissed his hand sweetly and told him about how everyone was worried about him. 

“How ‘bout the news?” He grunted as he shifted again. His whole body ached still and demanded sleep, but there was still the mission.

“No organization has claimed responsibility. Winston is wondering if it is Talon due to the nature of the attack. Mei made it back here safe and sound as well. She is doing much better. She is still only speaking Chinese, but if she slows down, she can do simple English phrases.”

Jesse stroked his hair lightly. “You should go to bed,” He smiled, his eyes felt heavy in his head. “I mean a real bed. With pillows.”

“Someone needs to watch you.” Angela smiled and leaned into his hand. “I don’t trust you. Last time you were shot, you tore out all your stitches to go smoke.”

“Hell, darlin’,” He smiled. “Then get someone else down here. I need you rested in case I need to go back under. Any of the new kids would be up late. Genji is up….Hanzo would be up.”

Angela smiled. “I will call around.” She kissed his hand again. “Rest.” She sat near Jesse until he slept again.

_____________

Johannesburg burned in slow motion. The whole city seemed to be on fire and Jesse sat there, an arrow through his side, pinning him to the seat inside. He was unable to move. He reached down to yank the protrusion out, only to have the navigation system say, “Leave it.” 

“Like hell I am!” Flames licked around the car. He gave the arrow a hard yank, only to have it drive deeper inside him. He tried again, in vain. Every time he tried to pull out, instead, it bore deeper inside him. A small hand covered him, pinning his hand to his body. He looked down at the blood spilling over his hands. “I said leave it,” The voice lost the electric edge. It came from the passenger seat. 

“It hurts so much!” He whined and looked over to see Captain Amari sitting there, neatly. She was dressed in dark blue, her dark hair covered by a jeweled scarf. She reached over and touched his face in her strong hands. “I said leave it, ḥabībī.” She stroked his cheeks back. “Don’t fight it. I have you. I will protect you.”

Jesse woke up with a start. The clock by his bed read 2:35. His whole body hummed with a dull ache. He moaned and tried to reach up, the dream world still implanted in his mind. He wanted to pull the arrow out still. Slowly the dark world came into focus and he found his hand, not trapped, but held. “Angie, I swear, if you are still here--” 

There was a shift in the mattress and the figure in the dark moved, freeing his hand. He had to be sure...he ran his fingers over his torso and found it sore, but free of projectiles.“Angela left several hours ago.” 

Jesse smiled a little at the sound of the deep voice. “Hey, Darlin’.” The form reached over, turned on the light and filled the room with a soft light. Hanzo sat in the chair by his bed. “Wha’cha doin’ sittin’ in the dark?” His words came out a slow drawl as he drank Hanzo’s form in.

Hanzo was curled in the chair. His hair was down and softly framed his face. He wore a gray t-shirt and a pair of dark blue sleeping pants. Jesse reached out and swept the dark hair out of his eyes, revealing the dark circles that lay there. 

“I did not wish to disturb you,” Hanzo’s voice was slurred. He leaned into the hand by his cheek, letting his eyes drift closed.

“Ain’t disturbin’ me,” Jesse moved his hand to the back of his head and led Hanzo’s head down to the mattress near him. “You look exhausted.”

Hanzo allowed himself to be manipulated, resting his head on his right arm as he half-laid on the mattress by Jesse, keeping the majority of himself in the chair. He shook his head, eyes drifting closed again. 

“No witty banter for me?” His fingers trailed in the dark hair. He felt Hanzo shake his head again. 

Jesse closed his eyes. He let his hand slip to Hanzo’s shoulders. “‘M not tired at all. ‘Course, I slept for a couple days.”

“It is not funny,” Hanzo snapped. “You should have died.”

Jesse blinked and looked down. “Darlin’, this ain’t the first time I been shot. Hell, this ain’t the worst I got.” He lifted the stub of his left arm. “Two days max, and I’ll be outta here and back training.”

“You are an idiot.”

Jesse leaned over, pressing his lips softly against Hanzo’s forehead. “I ‘ppreciate you worryin’.” 

Jesse laid back when Hanzo didn’t respond. The room was silent. Uncomfortable. Jesse was not one for quiet places. To him, quiet had always been dangerous. When he was a kid, quiet meant his tito and lita were about to have a massive row. The only time Deadlock became quiet was when the safe house was shot up by a rival gang and half the boys laid in pools of their own blood. Quiet was what happened right before his last mission with Reyes.

Jesse swallowed, trying to rid his mind of the quiet. “Hey, could we talk?” 

Hanzo adjusted himself. He twisted a little so he could still stay laying on his arm, but more comfortable looking up at the other. He nodded slowly. “What do you wish to talk about?”

“Don’t care,” Jesse’s gaze was on the ceiling. “Anything...what were you like in high school.”

Hanzo reached up, intertwining his fingers with Jesse’s. “I was a spoiled brat.” He smirked a little as Jesse looked over. “I was the rich son of a crime lord. I never heard the word no and everyone bowed to my will. I was a brat.”

Jesse chuckled, “Yeah?”

Hanzo shifted to sit up and moved Jesse’s hand back to his side, but he did not remove his hand. He continued to talk about what life in Japan was like for him as a teenager. Jesse’s thumb slowly stroked the other’s and gave a gentle squeeze, only to have it returned. Slowly, he felt himself relaxing again. The voice was low and calming. Gentle. He smiled slightly, wondering how many people around here would ever use that adjective to describe Hanzo Shimada.

He heard a click, and the light behind his eyelids turned dark. “Keep goin’” He mumbled out.

He felt the bed shift slightly, but the hand never left his. It remained, holding tight, anchoring him.

______________

 

The guardian dragons are not a toy, that was the phrasing always reiterated by their father. The dragons were powerful, celestial beasts meant to guard the family and bring them prosperity. They never showed up unless called upon, and even then, they drained the life force of all those who wielded them. 

Their great-great uncles were the last one to possess the power. He had moved mountains and bent the sea, as the story went. He and his brother ruled over the land and established the Shimada name as one of the most powerful.

It was Genji’s favorite story their father said. The two brothers were as close as thieves. Fierce warriors that blended their fighting style into one another until many enemies believed that there was only one Shimada. The dragons came to them one day while they went up against a fierce opponent. When they were at their lowest point, their men had all but fallen and the sword at their throats. The brothers called out, begging for the strength to be victorious.

That is when the dragons appeared. The beasts heeded their master’s call and devoured the entire army in one massive gulp.

From that day forward, the brothers were revered. They took what they wanted and called upon their horrors to subdue any rival. They became wealthy in both body and mind, but it was never enough.

A woman is what brought down their empire. She was a common woman of simple background, but her beauty caught the eye of the brothers. The older brother valued her intelligence. The younger brother valued her beauty. She was the first thing the brothers came across that they could not share.

In her heart though, the woman was wicked. She loved another and used her leverage to turn them.

The brothers came to resent one another, attacking and warring with each other. Finally, in the end, the brothers summoned their dragons against one another. In this battle, the two dragons saw what their masters had become. They attacked and killed for the brother’s honor, but now they saw the greed in both brothers hearts. The beasts turned in battle and went to their masters, slowly devouring their souls, leaving the brothers as empty husks.

The dragons swore to them then, they would never aid brothers who would turn against the family honor. They then looked to the woman, who had caused all the grief and swallowed her whole.

The brothers grew ancient before each other’s eyes and turned to statues. Now they sat, facing each other for all eternity, conscious and ever knowing the pain they had inflicted.

Their father weaved them stories often about the dragons. As a child, he always thought of them as full of wisdom passed down in the family line. It wasn’t until they were both teenagers when Hanzo told him that the stories were scoldings. Their father was a wonderful storyteller, but a terrible disciplinarian when it came to his sons. 

“Besides,” Hanzo once said, “Why would a woman ever come between us?”

It took Genji years to realize the full weight of his brother’s words. Hanzo always stayed deeply secretive about his personal life. He never brought girls home, like Genji had done. He worked with their father and stayed stoic.

Genji reclined back in the seat, musing on family history. Mother was the better storyteller when it came to personal stories. Her tales were never far fetched and never dealt with moral tales. Instead, she told things how they happened. 

Her favorite to tell was always the day they learned Hanzo could summon dragons. It was the day after Genji was born, she always started. She was resting with the new infant while her mother would run around taking care of Hanzo. He was rambunctious as a toddler and was afraid of nothing. She said she knew something had happened when the house became silent. Mothers, she said, always knew there was trouble in the quiet. Her mother had gone to check on Hanzo in his playroom and let out a shrill shriek and ran from the room, screaming about snakes eating the boy. 

Mother said that was when the whole house erupted into chaos. The all ran down the hall and into the room to find Hanzo perfectly fine. He was sitting happily in the middle of the room. Around his middle coiled two glowing blue dragons. The creatures snarled and nipped at his fingers and toes, letting out the most unnerving noises as they attacked.

Hanzo just giggled. He would grab for the creatures who would twist out of his tiny fists. 

Their father moved in to grab his eldest away from the monsters, only to have one snap down on his arm. His father kept the scar all the days of his lift. 

Hanzo was blessed, she had said. Not everyone was allowed the privilege of having dragon guardians, and Hanzo had two.

Genji looked up at the clock. It was nearly one in the morning. Angela asked him to physically check on him and give him any pain medicine at certain hours. He was supposed to go in at midnight, but Jesse seemed preoccupied then. The light from the room was on and there was muffled talking. 

He could see the hall was dark now. He had not heard Hanzo leave, but his brother was trained the same way he was; if he did not want to be heard, he wouldn’t. Genji stood up and stretched out his body, hearing the little pops as his joints fell back into place. He grabbed the worn red serape and headed back. Jesse always complained that is was not a blanket, thank-you-very-much and to please not treat it as such. He thought it would be funny if he draped it over the cowboy.

Genji slowly opened the door to his room and cocked his head to the side. Hanzo had not left. Instead, he was clearly visible, curled up in the chair next to his bed. His head rested on Jesse’s shoulder. Genji’s eye followed his form, his left arm on the bed, finger’s laced with Jesse’s. It was a purely domestic sight. The only piece that would have been off-putting was the tiny blue dragon. It curled around both men’s arms, it’s tail swished on Hanzo’s shoulder, while its head rested in the curve of Jesse’s hand where thumb and finger meet. 

He took a tentative step forward. The dragon did not move. He was not used to this domestic form. He had seen them in action, twin dragons spiraling around each other as they launched towards their target, but it looked almost pet-like. He draped the Serape around Hanzo’s shoulders. His brother shifted, his grasp tightening on Jesse’s hand, but he did not wake.

Genji stepped back, hugging the shadows. His brother would not appreciate the intrusion. He would be violent in his reaction.

But still…

Genji’s hand moved to his pocket and started to take out his phone when the dragon’s head rose, and looked right at him, daring him to continue his thought. Genji’s hand slowly replaced the phone and lifted it up. He slowly backed out of the room, wondering where the second creature was. The two were a pair and would never be split apart.

A hiss came from behind him. Genji turned. On the door frame lay the second dragon, clinging to the wood and looked out at him dangerously. It gave another low hiss as a warning to stay away. It was tinier than he remembered. He remembered them as being as long as cobras and twice as thick. Powerful, scary things. This one though was more like a garter snake. It was as long as his forearm and as thick as a rope. 

Without fear, he reached up, under its belly and pulled it away. It hissed at him again but made no move to bite. He reached down and rubbed the creature between the eyes and it’s hiss evolved into a low purr. “There,” He cooed, feeling his own dragon stirring within him. He quelled the feeling as he laid the noodle dragon onto Jesse’s chest, where it curled up tight on itself. It gave one final, weak hiss as he turned and left the room.

Dragons were protection. HIs father always said that. They came only in times of great need. Genji quietly shut the door behind him and ran a hand through his hair. His brother had called on them to protect Jesse. Even when he was unaware, he called to them. Never in his life had he seen such a display.

He looked back at the door. He was the one that asked Jesse to help his brother out. He did, in a way, set all this up. What he wanted was for his brother to find a companion. Someone that his brother could connect with while here. Hanzo never dealt with long terms. He always kept people at arm’s length, but now…

_______________

It took another day before Jesse had been alert awake enough to receive visitors (Dr. Ziegler’s orders). But, he was finally able to prop up the bed in a way where he wasn’t flat on his back. He also was not in any danger of tearing out his stitches. 

The good doctor was not thrilled when she came into her office and found not one, but two asleep Shimadas. Both brothers were sent to her office and she gave them a verbal thrashing for failing to do the one thing she asked. Only one of them was actually looking in on Jesse. The other had just stayed on her couch and was completely useless. Jesse could hear her tirade from his bed, even if he did have to strain to hear it all. Genji left like a dog with his tail between his legs.

“I reckon that is the first nice thing you said ‘bout him,” Jesse said as she examined and cleaned his wound. He felt numb all over. She broke out the good stuff for him. 

“Genji was asleep on my couch,” She said. “You could have been dying and instead he just left you be.” Her face was red at the accusation that she actually appreciated the elder Shimada. “And Mr. Shimada was quite informative, actually. Plus, he was there in case there happened to be an issue.”

Angela moved her arm under his shoulder and helped Jesse lean forward, off the mattress. She opened the back of his hospital gown and inspected his exit wound. “How big’s the scar gonna be, doc?” He gritted his teeth as she ran her hands over his flesh, prodding at his broken ribs. Everything ached.

“Tiny,” She smiled and leaned him back slowly. “Hardly noticeable. Your ribs will take more time. There is very little I can do for them except tell you not to breathe deeply.”

“Damn, I go through hell and back and come out with no news stories, no wanted posters, and no scar?” He clicked his tongue. “How is my Abuelita ever gonna know what I have done if I ain’t got nothing to show fer it.” 

Angela laughed. “Maybe just write her a letter like a normal human. Most people like hearing about their family first hand.”

Jesse hummed. “So when I get my sponge bath?” He smiled wickedly. “I remember gettin’ those before from cute young things back in the day.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Angela laughed and shook her head. “Times are tough now, Bärchen. We do not have the funds for hot young things to give you sponge baths. We have to make due.” She patted his cheek. “You need to shave.”

“I have been in a coma, woman!” He laughed. “What do you expect of me?”

“I will send in my new field medic for training. You are the perfect specimen for training.” She smiled wickedly at him.

“Devil woman, what did you do?” He growled.

She kissed his cheek. “Lucio will be in soon to get you nice and clean. I will also be teaching him how to redress and clean surgery wounds.”

“Aw hell naw,” Jesse whimpered. “You can’t do that to me. He’s a nice kid but he ain’t a doc!”

“Oh, he will be when I finish with him,” Angela moved back to her tray and lifted a large syringe with clear liquid in it. She lifted the IV in his arm and inserted the medicine. “By the way,” She paused and waited for Jesse to look at her. She deposited the empty needle in the trash. “Your friend is waiting outside in my office. Should I send him in?”

Jesse blinked, “Friend?” His mind began to cloud over. Of course, she drugged him then asked a question.

She hummed and moved to shift his cactus in the sun, purposely being coy. “He has been sitting out there, looking uncomfortable for the better part of an hour. At first, I thought I could frighten him off, but he is persistent.”

“Genji?” He blinked again, slower this time.

“Close,” She moved back. “Jesse McCree, what is your endgame with him?” She scooted herself onto the bed next to him and took his hand again. “He obviously likes you. I don’t know if that is a romantic feeling or desperation, but he likes you.”

Jesse felt himself smiling. “Ronin’s here?”

Angela’s hand moved over his. “What are you doing with him?”

“I ain’t sleeping with him.” He didn’t feel sleepy, just...comfortable. He could feel his brain slowing down and his the ache inside him subdued. “He’s funny...kinda cute...really cute.”

“Mmm?” She nodded, a small smile on her lips. “And your endgame?” She asked again. “I know you, Jesse McCree. You fancy yourself a heartbreaker.”

He smirked, “A little bit…”

“I remember your longest relationship,” Her deft fingers rolled large circles into his hand. “Do you remember? You were so in love with him. It was all you spoke of for weeks….then you conquered him. And you got bored. And you left. The whole affair lasted two weeks.”

Alarm bells began to ring in his head. “Angie, I--”

Her grip tightened a little, enough to keep his attention and not hurt. “Genji is my friend, so I am doing this for him. I want you to look deep down inside and ask yourself what it is you want out of that man. If for any reason, your answer is purely sexual and nothing more, you end it now. If, however, you decide to turn a new leaf and you want something more long term, I don’t break and then reset your fingers.”

Jesse tried to sit up but found her grip strong. “Listen to me, Jesse. You are like a brother to me and I love and adore you. So I am threatening harm to you only for that reason. Hanzo Shimada is off the table. Do you understand me?”

He gave a short nod.

“The only way he is available to you is if you truly believe this will be a long-term thing. And long term means years. Possibly forever, Jesse McCree.”

He nodded again. 

Angela kissed the palm of his hand. “Think with your other head, for once. It is a good one when you chose to use it.”

Angela flitted out of the room, leaving him alone.


	8. The Wonder of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's now or never,  
> come hold me tight  
> Kiss me my darling,  
> be mine tonight  
> Tomorrow will be too late,  
> it's now or never  
> My love won't wait.

“When do you get to go home?” Hanzo asked, dropping an ace onto the pile of cards between them on the bed. Winston was there earlier with a repaired arm. As he reconnected it to the circuitry attached to the stub above where his elbow should have been, he informed Jesse of some additional repairs done-general upgrades. He said it would react faster to brainwaves and have a firmer grip.

Jesse could not have cared less if the fingers would not move. He felt whole again.

Jesse shrugged. “It was supposed to be yesterday,” He said. “But I had a coughing fit and tore stitches so Angie pushed it back.” He threw down a three. Between them sat a game they had devised out of boredom. Jesse liked playing cards, but the medicine that still flowed in his system made anything more challenging than Go Fish impossible. They had attempted to play Egyptian Rat Slap and War, but both men were too competitive and the cards had been confiscated by an angry Lucio who swore he would murder them both if Jesse tore the stitches on his watch.

So now they threw cards into a pile, trying to alternate colors and keep it in numerical order in a terrible parody of Solitaire. Hanzo stole looks at the other man and found the atmosphere more uncomfortable than anything. Jesse talked to him, filling the stretches of silence with useless babble, but conversations always stayed in the neutral area of conversation. Things that would not be considered taboo in any regard. He asked about mission briefings and the weather. He had Hanzo read him recent movie reviews. He explained the subtle nuances of the spaghetti western.

He kept things light. Friendly.

“You gonna leave early again tonight?” Jesse asked. He must have decided he won that round, as he picked up the cards from the pile in the middle of them and shuffled them into his own deck.

Hanzo shook his head. “Last night Miss Song needed my help with a project she is developing. She needed my input.”

“She told me you were playing Terminal Deathmatch,” Jesse flicked a five of diamonds onto the empty sheets. He watched as Hanzo’s cheeks pinkened. The man, he found, was absolutely adorable when he blushed. It was a trait he encouraged often. “She said you totally creamed her, but had to be cheating.”

“Understanding perfect combinations and having accurate thumb coordination is not cheating. She is nothing but a sore loser.” Hanzo had found it necessary to venture out of his quarters and found Miss Song to be...enjoyable to be around. She expected little out of him, wanting someone to play video games with her when no one else would. 

“Boy howdy, she was pissed!” He hooted, pulling Hanzo out of his thoughts. “Man, I swear to you that steam was rollin’ out of her ears! How many rounds did you go?”

A smile played on Hanzo’s lips as he talked about the seven rounds of games she forced him to play. Hana even made him switch controllers half way through, thinking it had to be a flaw in the machine itself. As he spoke, his smile stayed constant, his eyes on the playing cards in his hand. He looked up at the man across from him. 

Yesterday, Hanzo attempted to broach the subject of the afternoon they spent together only to have Jesse say that he was not allowed to run for at least two weeks and that he was sorry to not be his running partner. He was blatantly ignoring the rutting that occurred between them.

Hanzo usually appreciated having sexual partners that kept quiet after the fact. He was never one for public affections, but here in this room, they were alone. Hanzo looked at the cards in his hand again, fingers moving to the bridge of his nose and absentmindedly twirled the metal barbell piercing. 

Jesse reached across and brushed a stray hair behind his ear, letting his fingers linger awhile longer than it needed. His hand moved back, resting comfortably on the back of the other’s head, stroking the short hairs there, sending a tingle over Hanzo’s body.

“Come ‘ere,” Jesse gently pulled the other forward.

Hanzo moved with the light coaxing and braced his own hands on Jesse’s knees. Softly, he melted into the other’s lips. Hanzo’s kiss was gentle as Jesse’s hand moved from the back of his head to his cheek, stroking lightly at his beard, enjoying the masculinity that was Hanzo. 

Hanzo leaned in further, his hands moving up his sides, careful to avoid the bandage and he pulled Jesse forward. Jesse tilted his head more, trying to deepen the kiss more when heat flared through his side. Jesse’s back tensed and his knees began to shake as he pulled back and hissed.

“Too much,” Hanzo mumbled. His strong hands gripped Jesse and helped guide him back to the mattress. He slipped off the bed, but not before leaving a chaise kiss on his forehead. He stepped back to a respectable distance as the door opened and the doctor stepped into the room.

“Your monitor went off, what happened?” She looked collected, but her eyes darted between the two men. “What happened?” Her voice went colder, accusatory as her eyes pinned Hanzo to the spot. Hanzo turned and moved to the window, looking out.

“Cards,” Jesse pointed to the deck that lay askew on the sheets, quickly developing a story as to why he hurt himself that did not involve kissing the other man. “I went to reach for the card with my bad side.”

Angela’s lips tightened as her eyes narrowed. She moved over and snatched the deck off the sheets and pocketed them quickly. “Lucio told me about your violent games. No more cards. You are not allowed to do any strenuous activity, Agent McCree.”

He smiled. “So I get a doctor’s note that gets me outta gym?”

Angela’s frown deepened. Her eyes were trained on Hanzo’s back. “No. And until you can walk to the toilet without assistance, you are not leaving this hospital wing. And even after you are out, you get to do nothing but walk short distances,” She walked over to his bedside and fluffed up his pillows. “You think that I am being overprotective, but I do not want to put my hands inside your stomach again, McCree. I am making up a schedule of agents willing to stay with you so you are not alone.”

Jesse groaned, “Really? A babysitter?” He could picture it: Reinhardt sitting in his room on the end of his bed, reading fairy tales aloud in German from a leather bound book while Jesse was forcibly tucked into his bed like a child. “Please no, Angie. I got a cell phone. I ain’t gonna do nothing but watch movies and sleep.” He whined.

Angela’s eyebrows rose almost off her head. “Oh no, do not feed me those lines. The first second you are alone you will smoke and drink. That will hinder everything. You will not smoke. Or drink.”

Jesse ran a hand over his face. He was growing tired again. “Angie, I swear I am an adult and will not need a watchdog.”

“I can watch him at nights,” Hanzo said, his back was still to them, arms crossed over his broad chest. 

Jesse looked over at Angela with big puppy eyes. “See? I ain’t gonna smoke and drink at night. I can barely stay awake as it is. And the good medicine puts me right out. Please, no babysitter.”

Angie looked at the man as if he grew two heads, trying to find a flaw in his logic, but couldn’t. She went to her last resort. “Mr. Shimada, that seems like quite an undertaking for yourself.”

“I make sure that he takes his pain medication then sleep. He whines, but is hardly a chore,” He said. If it becomes unbearable, I will contact you.” He turned away from the window.

Angela looked over at Jesse, seeing his hopeful look. She frowned. “It is your choice, overall.” She said. “I have already given you my advice, and it is up to you to heed it.” She moved over and lifted the yellow hospital gown to look at the stitching. She turned to Hanzo. “Visiting hours are over. It is five. You can visit him tomorrow.”

Jesse gave a slight wave as the archer left the room, not giving him a backward glance. The last two nights Hanzo had snuck in after hours and sat with him through the night. He hoped that he would be back again tonight.

“Jesse McCree,” His name was the start of a scolding, he could hear it. “You told me you were ending this.”

“I said I would think about it,” he mumbled. “I ain’t doing nothing but being friendly and you are the one sticking your nose in where-NNN!” He winced, knees jolting up as he tried to move away from Angela’s tiny jabbing fingers.

“You will be here one more night. I will discharge you tomorrow.” her voice was cold. “I don’t like this game you are playing.”

“Damn it, woman! I ain’t playin’ a game,” He snarled. “I ain’t done nothing to him! He is in need of a friend and I enjoy his company. That is it.”

Angela sat on the bed next to him, taking his hand. “Just his friend?”

Jesse nodded. “Yes. Friend. Like us. I ain’t changing how I talk to him just cause you think it ain’t right. I talk to him the way I talk to everyone.” It was not a lie. He did talk to Hanzo the same way he talked to everyone. Jesse knew he was a flirt and prided himself on the ability to sweet talk anyone. He just so happened to get swept up in his own sweet talking and happened to kiss the man once or twice. “Listen, I heard what you said before, ‘bout not using Hanzo. I get our team is small and I can’t go through recruits like tissue anymore. I don’t wanna do that. I’m too old. It’s easier to go to a club and find someone there if I am itchin’.” 

Angela’s frown returned. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She nodded instead and moved off his bed. “Lena is bringing you dinner tonight. I told her to get plain chicken with steamed vegetables. I assume she is going to forget those orders and bring in something fast and greasy. Eat slowly. Your system may not handle it well.” She kissed his forehead again. “Just make sure she gets rid of the evidence. Your doctor will not like hearing about what you have been fed.”

______________

Hanzo stood outside his room door, glaring at the thing before jamming his key into the lock and heading in. The smell of standing water hit him like a tidal wave as he flipped on the lights. Hanzo surveyed the damage again. Two enormous fans were positioned on opposite ends of the room, both facing the bathroom and going at top speed. The entirety of the furniture was stacked at the opposite wall, haphazardly on top of each other, giving the most floor space possible. The door to the bathroom was off its hinges, resting instead on the wall near the window. He had not broken it off, which was good. He just forced it off. It was an easy repair.

No, for the most part, his room was just fine. It was just the five feet surrounding the bathroom door that was the issue. The carpet looked normal from the doorway. There seemed to be nothing amiss, apart from the pungent smell. If one were to take a step closer though, they would find that the room had flooded.

It was not entirely his fault. It was the cowboy’s fault that his room flooded.

Hanzo shut the door and moved to open the window, hoping the breeze would help take the humidity out. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a long sigh and he moved into the bathroom, to look at the full damage. The carpet was only the aftermath.

The cowboy had promised him to fix the hot water issue that he had. Hanzo had addressed the issue with Winston before, only to have him come back and sat that Athena could not detect anything amiss. Athena, he soon found out, was the end all response. When he broached the subject later with Genji, he got a similar answer. “Well, Athena does not detect any malfunction in the piping. Maybe you just have it positioned wrong.”

He did not have it positioned wrong. He had it positioned right. The pipes were wrong.

Jesse believed him though. He said he would come out and take care of it. Then he had to get his side blown off in an attempt to be some big, damn hero.

That night was a mess. He had gone back to his own room. Jesse was shipping out in two hours. Hanzo knew the moment the phone went off that their tryst was finished. As much as it pained him, he knew Jesse would have finished it up, left them both unsatisfied and then also be late for his flight. Hanzo was the one with self-control, so he exited himself as quickly as he could, even if it did end up paining him. 

Hanzo made a plan of returning to his own quarters and finishing himself off proper, then holing away until the cowboy’s return, when he would properly jump him and ravish him and throw that damn phone out the window. 

Genji had other plans though.He assaulted him in the hallway, forced him into photographs then...hugged him.

It started as simple mortification. Hanzo was still half hard the moment his brother found him, and all the willing in the world would not quell his aching dick. It demanded attention, even if it was not fully aroused anymore. All Hanzo needed to have was five minutes alone and he could have continued on as normal. But he had been hugged.

As his brother held him, the mortification of being sexually aroused by his brother’s coworker and drinking partner melted quickly as he found his ear against the other’s shoulder.

Genji was cold and solid. His mass held weight but it felt...false. The whole ordeal transpired in a series of moments. It was over so quick, he did not even have time to register why it felt so foreign. He had thrown Genji off and fled to hide away where Genji would not be able to track him. 

He collapsed into an alcove, his chest burning and his head throbbing. Every inch of himself flamed with one thought. The only thought that repeated with every beat of his racing heart. No pulse. No pulse. No pulse.

Genji had told him before that his armor was like a suit. He was mostly meaty bits in there. It sickened Hanzo to hear his brother describe his body in such a way, like a tin can filled with dog food. But under it, he was still a man. Still human. Hanzo had robbed him of some of that, but inside he still was a man.

No pulse. No pulse. No pulse.

When his ear landed on Genji’s shoulder, the familiar sound of life did not exist inside that suit. Instead, he heard a whooshing, like water flowing through pipes. It was slow and methodical, but there was no beat with it. No familiar thumping that resided in every human’s chest. Just flowing water.

He had spent the remainder of that day in hiding. No one came to look for him, which he appreciated. What he wanted was his cowboy home. Jesse filled the blank spaces with noise. And here, in this space, there was nothing but blank spaces. No assassins came looking for him here. He was not scrambling to find money to afford a cheap room for the night. Or making a mockery of himself by sleeping with anyone who had a place and was not a threat.

Overwatch Headquarters was too quiet. Jesse was loud.

When Hanzo ventured out, the whole base was scrambling. Everyone was running, on the phone with one agency or another. The television informed him on why. Shaky helicopter footage showed the scene; a crowd running away from the building with a red alert at the bottom of the screen “Terrorists target Johannesburg hospital”. 

Suddenly, the chaos around him fell to silence. People moved quickly, but time felt slowed down. Everyone had a position to go to, things to do in the crisis. He saw them, shouting as they ran past, evidently knowing the details.

Hanzo stood there, useless. He attempted to help but found himself in others ways. They had trained to deal with this, trained to know how to respond. He was the outsider.

“Get a crash cart to the--” He heard Angela screaming in the fray, he could not hear everything, but caught phrases.. “--don’t have time--” She ran with Lucio. His stomach dropped again, his face felt numb as they brushed past him. “Already crashed once--”

Hanzo found himself back in his room, sitting there. Useless.

Useless.

He had to do something.

He had to do something with his hands. Had to fix something. He looked over, his bow was propped neatly by the door. He could go shooting. Meditate in his own way. Clear his mind.

He moved over and lifted the heavy bow, shouldering it as he moved towards the quiver of arrows. He headed to the door when he caught sight of the bathroom. 

In his mind, he could hear Jesse’s voice “I’ll do you one better, I’ll look at that shower for you. I may not look it, but I am mighty handy.”

He saw red. He dropped his weapon and in two steps he was inside that bathroom. Damn thing never worked. Damn thing only froze. Hanzo grabbed the shower head and pulled it out of the wall, throwing it into the main room. Water shot out of the hole left it the wall, hitting the tile in the back and soaking him.

And he screamed.

He grabbed the nearest thing to him and began to beat it against the wall. Screaming. More water erupted from the wall, flooding the room. His hands became slippery, his bludgeoning tool fell to the ground and his fists began beating against the wall.

He screamed out again, dropping to the ground and his shoulders heaved, heavy tears fell onto his hands, masked by the water flowing over him.

Somewhere in there, Athena registered something wrong with the pipes and the water was shut off. He had been sitting in there for hours, allowing himself to wallow in his numbness before pulling himself out.

He left his room at daybreak, leaving the room the way it was. The morning was more of a blur. The last thing he expected to hear was that the cowboy was alive.

He closed his eyes and laid back on the bed, curling up. With everything happening, he had tried to go out and be kind to the others. He had learned to act normal, pretending he was Genji for moments, playing like he enjoyed being along with them. It was exhausting. Hanzo’s eyes drifted shut in the humid room and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

__________

Angela had a slight bounce to her step as she moved into the hospital room, a stack of papers under one arm. Over her arm hung a tote bag, she held it out. “Jesse, I have just officially discharged you,” She smiled holding the bag out. “Now you have a choice. You can sit in a wheelchair and I will push you back to your room, or you can be careful and walk down with Mr. Shimada.”

Jesse took the bag and looked in, finding his pajamas inside. On the very top was his hat. “Walk,” He answered quickly. “I ain’t feeble, I can make it on my own.” He turned himself slowly and moved to sit on the edge of the bed as he slipped on the loose fitting sweatpants with a pained grunt. He made sure the band rested low on his hips, as to not touch the bandages on his middle. Or his ribs. 

The hospital gown came off next and he was thankful to be rid of the ugly yellow things. He spent the better part of the week having his ass hang out to the world. Angie refuses him the kindness of underpants, as the waistband might ride up and irritate the sutures. He held the shirt in front of him and gave another pained grunt as he found his arms could not extend higher than his elbows without discomfort.

Hanzo moved to him first. He moved to stand between Jesse’s knees and reached out and maneuvered the fabric over his head and down his body. He took great pains to make sure his ribs were not disturbed. As he flattened the shirt across his belly. Jesse chuckled and looked across the room. Angela began to set his effects into a box, she was far enough away. “I always figured that the next time I got you this close, my clothes would be comin’ off, not the other way around,” He mumbled and looked up at the other man, a smirk playing on his lips.

Hanzo smirked back at him. “Do not push it, cowman. You aren’t as cute when you are this scruffy.”

It was a slow process, getting Jesse ready to go home. He needed help getting his shoes on next. Boots, Angela has said, did not have proper balance and support. She had brought his running shoes, which were tight fitting. She also demanded the room cleaned. Angela insisted that it was not Lucio’s job to pick up after Jesse. He disagreed.

The journey across the base and back to the dorms was tedious. Jesse had to ask to stop and rest several times. The first time, he told Hanzo he wanted to admire the view out of the window at the sea. By the third time, he had given up excuses and instead focused on getting his senses back together. Normally, he could get to Angela’s office and back in under ten minutes. It took an hour and a half to get home. Hanzo stood near him when he needed, a strong arm able to hold him up. It was agony, but Jesse would never admit to that. 

Hanzo had his keys and let them into his room. It was impeccably clean like a maid service had gone through. He could see in his closet, his clothes neatly hung, colors matched and waiting. His floor was vacuumed recently, and the collection of beer bottles in the window had vanished. Jesse looked over at the man as he was led to the bed, amazed but not surprised that the other had cleaned his mess. Hell, he was surprised that the archer was still around him.

Jesse had to remind himself that he was not allowed to just collapse on the mattress. His knees were shaking with the effort of simply lowering himself. He had to remind himself he was not a young man anymore and his core muscles were not as toned as they could have been. He did relinquish a bit of his pride and let Hanzo slowly deposit him on the mattress. He propped Jesse up against the headboard. Jesse took this opportunity to curse the man and his family.

“I did offer to go back for a wheelchair,” Hanzo removed the other’s shoes carefully, setting them by the door.

“I told you to suck my-”

Hanzo pulled out the pill bottle, ignoring the verbal onslaught coming from Agent McCree. The man had broken out in a sweat and was currently on a condemnation of everything Hanzo stood for. He sighed and moved around the room, finding a glass for water and other comforts for the cowboy, ignoring every word that diminished his being. 

“-And you know what else-” Hanzo turned the pill bottle over in his hand, reading the warnings and directions. He continued to disregard the rise in volume from the cowboy, choosing, instead to let it all come out. The pain was a curious thing and Hanzo knew it was best to get it all out. He would get his medication and be sated soon enough.

Hanzo moved over and forced the tablets into one hand and the water into another. He leaned down and silenced Jesse with his lips, tenderly stroking his beard.

“Take the medicine,” His voice was calm and even as he sat back on the mattress near him. He continued to stroke the man’s uneven whiskers. Jesse popped the pills into his mouth and drank down all the water without a word, his eyes trained on the archer. Hanzo leaned in a second time and kissed him again. It was just as brief and chaise. “How is your pain management?”

“Everything hurts like a sonovabitch,” He groaned and Hanzo took his hand. “So like...a four maybe?”

Hanzo nodded. “Is a one the most intense in this scenario? Usually ten in the most intense.”

“Nope. Just trying to stay manly for ya,” He managed a smile, though. The medicine would be kicking in shortly, but his side still throbbed.

“So in unmanly terms, what is your pain?”

“....Like a seven.” Jesse sighed and shut his eyes and gritted his teeth. He should have gotten the damn wheelchair, like Angela insisted, but no. He had to be an idiot. His whole body felt like it was on fire. Pain radiated out of his side and his lungs burned for deep breaths that he could not take. His lungs would pop and crack if he breathed deeper than he already was. He just wanted to sink into the mattress and let it swallow him and suffocate him.

Cool hands touched his stomach. Jesse looked up to find Hanzo over him, lifting up his shirt slightly and inspecting him as if he were something under a microscope. He felt the adhesive being pulled away, and calloused fingers prodding gently at him. “You did not rip or pull anything,” Hanzo informed him dryly. “It hurts, but I do not need to call Dr. Ziegler.”

“She called you Mr. Shimada,” Jesse grunted through his teeth. “Why is she bein’ formal with ya?”

“I expect it is because she is a formal person.” He replaced the bandage carefully and went about laying his shirt flat again. “And we are not exactly on first name basis. She does not like me.”

Jesse grunted again. He wanted to say that wasn’t true, that Angela liked everybody, but she was incredibly protective of Genji. Hanzo to her was still the enemy.

“She did get my physical done though,” Hanzo said, his hand stayed on Jesse’s hip. “While you were asleep. I am a full member of your organization. They won’t put me in the field yet though. My mental health assessment came back as a risk to myself and others. Apparently murdering your brother to appease your crime lord family makes me a risk to teammates.”

“What did Genji say about it?”

“That it was bullshit,” He smiled a little. “He said it wasn't murder because he obviously lived. Winston should be more concerned that I was unable to follow through on my goals.” Hanzo shifted to he was on Jesse’s left side, propping himself up as well. His hand remained on Jesse’s his. Slowly, he leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“Mmm...speaking of goals,” Jesse’s mind hung on Angela’s warning to him about Hanzo. That he was not a toy or plaything. His metallic hand took Hanzo’s. “What is this?”

Hanzo stopped. “What do you mean?”

“This. Us. What is it?” He leaned his head back. His head was swimming, the medicine had begun its course of numbing him. Already his toes and fingers tingled. “I mean, I like us,” he continued. “But I gotta know what you’re goal is.”

Hanzo sat up on an elbow. “There needs to be a goal?” He smiled. “Can’t my goal be kissing you, cowboy?”

Jesse’s head floated away. At this moment, that sounded like a very reasonable goal. He wanted nothing more than to be kissed into the mattress. But still…

“No, Sweetheart. I mean Whaddaya wanna do? Why are you-” He mumbled and felt himself sliding down into the mattress. Hanzo’s hands were on both hips he realized, and the other was laying him flat.

Hanzo helped him get comfortable, raising his eyebrows. “It is your first night back. I doubt you have the strength to do anything, even if you wanted.” Hanzo moved to a seated position against the headboard. He reached down and thread his fingers through Jesse’s hair slowly. “You need to rest.”

His eyes drooped further. “When did you take my hat?” He frowned and forced his eyes open, looking up at Hanzo.

“When you laid down. It is on the table near you. Rest.” His soft baritone was enough to send him into fits. 

“No,” He moaned and reached out, lightly grabbing the wrist above him. “I mean-” His words jumbled at the feeling of fingers against his scalp. Hanzo’s deft hands twirled an unruly strand of tawny brown hair in his hand. Jesse’s head lolled to the side, resting against the other’s thigh. Hanzo’s hand moved down, rubbing lightly at the shell of his ear. 

Slowly, his hand moved down his face, cupping his chin. His calloused thumb outlining his beard. Jesse tilted his head into the hard muscle of Hanzo’s thigh, moaning lightly at the ministrations. 

“Who trimmed your beard up there?” He scolded. “It is uneven and you look even more homeless that usual.”

Jesse mumbled and leaned into the hand. His body was reacting to this onslaught of tenderness. His mind was begging for rest. The medicine did nothing for it, but he felt other parts of his body reacting. “Hanzo,” He gasped out the other’s name. “Darlin’, I,” He swallowed and felt the hand stroking his beard move down his neck. “I am gonna havta ask you to,” He groaned, his hips thrusting up a little, trying to get the arched to notice. 

Hanzo chuckled, “Cowboy, I think you need to relax,” He punctuated that my moving his hand down, over his chest, rubbing light circles. 

“You are makin’ it hard,” He managed to open his eyes and looked up. “One might think yer doing this on purpose.” McCree brought his own hands up, stroking his thighs. 

“I am doing it on purpose,” Hanzo’s voice was musical. “I spent the better part of two weeks not being able to touch you.” He hooked his fingers into the shirt and pulled it up and off of his body, tossing it aside. “I planned on making up for lost time when you got back from your trip, instead I had to wait.”

Jesse smiled. “Darlin’, I am mighty sorry for putting you out.” He nuzzled the thigh near his chin. “But I was also plannin’ on comin’ home whole and plowin’ you proper.”

Hanzo smiled, “You are a real poet.” He hummed and traced lazy circles on Jesse’s chest, fingers curling in the short hair. “I swoon for your words.”

Jesse nearly purred at the attention. “I would love to see you do better.”

Hanzo’s hands moved back up, stroking his beard once again. “And the coolness of your smile is stirring of birds between my arms; but I should rather than anything have, almost when hugeness will shut quietly, almost, your kiss.” Hanzo leaned down, almost bending himself in half and pressed his lips against Jesse’s.

Jesse moaned into the kiss. “Damn...nevermind, you are a poet.”

He smiled against his lips. “Cummings.”

“Not yet, baby.”

Hanzo laughed. “No. It is a poet. E. E. Cummings. It is from one of his poems.” He sat back.

Jesse smirked. “Poetry? Naw, that ain’t nothing but people sayin’ shit to sound pretty. I will admit, I like it comin’ out of your mouth though.”

“Thank you for thinking I am that clever.” He ran his hands down his chest and sides. “But now that you mention it, you are still far too clothed.” He slipped away from Jesse’s side and moved down.

“Cheater,” Jesse moaned and managed to lean up on his elbows. Never in his life had he talked this much before in bed. Usually, it was a much quieter affair, getting in, getting the job done. “And don’t you tell me I am too overdressed. You are sittin’ there fully clothed.”

Hanzo positioned himself between Jesse’s legs and looked at the sight before him. Jesse’s face was flushed red, his pupils blown wide as his gaze was fixed on Hanzo. His tawny chest heaved slightly, marked with fading bruises turning yellow. Jesse McCree was built. Thick bodied and toned muscles. Jagged scars tarnished the landscape of his body and left Hanzo wanting to run his tongue over every inch of him. He leaned down and kissed his stomach, darting his tongue into the crevice of his bellybutton. He hooked his thumbs under the waistband, his smile was wicked. “Doctor’s orders were no strenuous activity,” His voice was low as his mouth traveled down the line of thick fur that led under his waistband. He gave a gentle tug, pulling his pants over his hips, but still not freeing Jesse. He leaned down and let his lips play over the scared hip.

Hanzo cupped the bulge in Jesse’s pants, stroking him through the fabric, able to feel the length and girth of the gunslinger before ever seeing him. Hanzo groaned and felt his own pants tightening. “Fuck, McCree…” He nuzzled and kissed at the member, eyes hooded. 

Jesse licked his lips. “That is the goal, sugar.” he cock twitched in his pants, begging for freedom. “Tease!” He moaned, watching Hanzo mouth his hard member, his hands still on his thighs. He was gorgeous.

Hanzo smiled as he pulled his pants all the way down in a fluid motion and threw them behind him with the rest of Jesse’s clothes and looked up, greedily seeing the thick cock bounced against his stomach “I have never been with an American before,” his hands caressed Jesse’s ankles, moving upwards. “You are very well put together.” Jesse’s cock twitched at his words.

Jesse smirked. “Here I am, naked as the day I was born, and you are still fully clothed,” He thrust his hips up. 

Hanzo’s hands moved up, gripping him at the base and slowly pumped upward, watching the precome oozed out of the slit. “Look at you,” He purred. “So needy already.” His thumb moved over the slit, slicking up his shaft.

Jesse tipped his head back and moaned. “Oh, fuck me,” his hips snapped forward and he hissed as he jousted his side.

Hanzo held his hips down with his free hand. “No, no strenuous activity.” He pumped slowly, squeezing him from the base upwards towards his swollen, purple head. He bit his lower lip as his hand worked, concentrating on the task. “But I could not wait. I want your cock, cowboy.”

Jesse’s body shivered. He let Hanzo take control. “Baby, you can do whatever you want.” He spread his legs wider. “Please,” he begged.

Hanzo leaned down, tongue tracing the thick vein from base to tip. He continued, rolling his tongue along the head before wrapping his lips tightly around it. He tasted Jesse’ salty flavor and let out a deep, rumbling moan that Jesse could feel.

Hanzo repositioned himself, laying down between his legs, greedily licking at the flesh in front of him before taking his cock head back into his mouth and hollowing out his cheeks. His tongue darted into the slit at the tip before his head bobbed lower, his tongue working along the shaft in his mouth as his hand pumped upwards. Jesse was in heaven, moaning out the other’s name as his cock was worked.

“Baby...cariño,” Jesse gasped as Hanzo worked his way down, taking inch by inch of his thick cock with each bob of his head. His hand twisted in the black hair, doing everything he could to keep the man there. He felt like he may swallow his own tongue. Hanzo’s body kept him pinned, unable to thrust up. He threw his head back, babbling incoherently, giving praise and encouragement to the man above him. “Damelo todo!” He cried out, feeling his cock leaking against the other man’s tongue. He would not last long at this rate.

 

Hanzo’s eyes locked with Jesse as his chin was flush with his pelvic bone. Jesse found himself forgetting words. Hanzo’s right hand moved up, stroking at his chest and flicking at his nipple. Jesse moaned and laced his free hand with Hanzo’s, spreading his legs wider. His body ached and burned. It demanded release. His hips thrust up erratically as he felt his balls tightening to his body. “Ay, que rico!”

Hanzo pulled back, keeping his lips firmly around his head as Jesse’s hips arched up, shooting himself into the waiting mouth.

His body felt like jelly as he was eased back onto the mattress. His side ached and his chest trembled as he came down from that high, finding Hanzo gently rubbing his thighs and moving them back into place. Jesse stroked a thin, black hair back, looking at the man over him, who still was fully dressed.

But he looked properly fucked. Hanzo’s eyes were hooded as they looked up at him, his pink mouth swollen and bruised. His black hair was a mess of tangles. Jesse felt a twinge in his stomach, realizing that he had done that. He smirked and pulled Hanzo up. “Com’ere” He mumbled and tugged at the shirt, forcing Hanzo to crawl up his body.

He pulled him down into a crushing kiss. Hanzo let out a needy moan, his hips trembled, wanting so badly to thrust against the other, but not.

Jesse nuzzled his neck. “Lay next to me. I gotcha, Honey.” He ran his hand down to the button of his pants. “I gotcha…”

“Jesse,” Hanzo’s voice was husky. “Cowboy...no…” he leaned into the tender kisses Jesse was planting on his neck. “I can finish myself up.”

“Ain’t fair,” He mumbled. He managed to roll onto his side. Hanzo laid near him. “I won’t be as good but...I wanna….” His fingers outlined the cock in his pants. There was a noticeable wet mark. Hanzo wouldn’t last long, regardless of who was touching him. “Promise I’ll go you good.”

Hanzo shifted on the bed, removing his shirt and pants, tossing them aside with the rest of the clothing. “You are going to rest, Jesse.” He leaned in and kissed him. “You are already sleeping.”

“Ain’t so.” Jesse’s eyes drooped further. His hands stroked at Hanzo’s sides. “Wanna….do you.” Hanzo’s hand moved over his own and lead it down the contours of his abdomen. Darkness was enveloping his senses. Jesse mumbled and felt Hanzo guide his hand around his hard cock, feeling its weight before finally succumbing to sleep.

__________

There was a loud knock on the door that roused him from his deep sleep. Jesse sat up and looked around the brightly lit room before a second knock was heard followed by Genji’s voice. “I have hot take-out in my hands! Hanzo!”

The bed dipped and Hanzo’s presence was gone. Jesse managed to focus his eyes, scrambling to cover himself, when he noticed his pants were once again on. His shirt though was folded on the dresser. 

A third knock came, much more persistent than before. “Oi! Hanzo!”

“Wha--?” He managed, finally training his eye on the archer, who was fully dressed and moving towards the door.

Before he could process anymore, the cyborg barged in with a large paper bag. “I got stuff. McCree! I got you greasy shit that Angela won’t allow.” He said with a smile.

“He is still highly medicated. A little confused,” Hanzo took the bag from Genji and set it on the table. He looked over to the bewildered gunslinger. “I called Genji to get food. You were out of it and I needed to eat.”

He managed a nod. He looked out the window and found it pitch black outside. “How--?”

“Five hours,” Hanzo said. He turned to his brother. “Angela’s medicine. I gave it to him right when we got here and I had no idea it would be so potent.”

Genji nodded and moved over to the bed, letting his brother deal with sorting out the contents of the bag. He took the hat from the dresser and plopped it right on top of Jesse’s head. “Feeling better, Buckaroo?”

Jesse shook his head. “I am very confused. I had weird dreams,” He looked around the room, trying to gauge what was real and what was false.

“Oh! Hey!” Genji turned. “I brought something to help. He stepped into the hall again and came back with a six pack of green bottles. He held it up.

“Beer?”

“No,” Was Hanzo’s reply, taking the case from Genji’s hands. “No alcohol. At all.” He looked at Jesse then Genji. “His medicine says-”

Genji waved him off and began talking to him in Japanese, Jesse watched on, unable to interpret more than a few words in his current state. Hell, in this state English was barely understood. The body language, though, was loud and clear.

Genji made a grab for the case, snatching it back easily from his brother, “It is just one. He knows his limits on those drugs.”

“I said no.”

“Oh come on, those are guidelines, not rules,” Genji moved and set the food out on the table, pulling out neat little white cartons. “He can have one shitty beer and function.” 

Hanzo was adamant, “No.” He picked up one of the cartons and looked it over. “What is this?” He lifted it high, inspecting the sharpie black number on the side.

Jesse groaned, his eyes dry out and droop. Suddenly, when he was unable to see them, the conversation was unintelligible to expect for a few words like “Cowboy” and “Garbage”. “Hey, English please,” He roared, rubbing his temples to keep away a headache that was forming.

Hanzo turned. “I said no beer,” He explained to Jesse.

“I got that part, what’s the matter with the take-out?” Jesse mumbled.

Hanzo raised an eyebrow and looked at his brother. “Chinese?” He looked down. “This is...dog food.”

Jesse grunted and managed to lean upright against the headboard, “Woof. I want the dog food.”

Genji clicked his tongue and handed a full plate to Jesse with a fork, which seemed to insult Hanzo further, judging from the look of utter contentment. “My brother seems to think that every meal must consist of a well-balanced flavor orientation. He sees himself as having a refined pallet and that eating is a work of art.”

Hanzo scowled at his brother.  
Jesse looked over at him. “Shit tastes good.” He motioned to it with the fork and began to eat. “This is how you do vegetables.”

Hanzo was lost in the bag, digging out a pair of chopsticks and looked over each carton carefully. He would lift one up, smell it, then put it away. “Doesn’t your rigorous training on the mountain require you to be clean of body and mind? This is trash.” He filled his plate with items that looked the most appetizing and least threatening and moved to sit on the end of the bed.

Jesse smiled and looked at Genji. “Is this how he always is? First, my speaking sucks, then my movies. Now my food. How do I win?”

Genji shrugged. “Eat the damn chicken, Hanzo.” He sat and took one of the glass bottles from the case he brought in. It took him a second to flick the cap off with his finger. He smirked at his brother’s disdain look. “The American taught me that one,” He pointed the bottle at Jesse. “Blame him on my bad manners. And why doesn’t Jesse have a shirt? I thought you were supposed to be caring for him.”

“He complained earlier about being too hot. I removed his shirt.” Hanzo reached over and took the bottle from Genji. “It is not fair that you get to consume alcohol and the cowboy is not allowed.”

“Aw, Han, you do care,” The glare that came from the other man could rival Medusa. Jesse tried his damnedest to not smile but failed. The medicine had his brain all but mush and he found himself loving the hard contours of that scowl. “Point taken. No pet names, Tiger.” he gave him an emboldened wink.

It took a lot of bribery to get Hanzo to allow the beers to be drunk. The man was a severe rule abider. He made sure both men swore to three rules: Firstly, Jesse was given half a bottle to drink himself. Secondly, nothing more than the six pack that Genji brought in was allowed in the room. Third, absolutely no hard liquor. Rule two, they argued, stated that only the beer was approved, but Hanzo insisted on Rule Three.

The second rule was quickly broken. Hanzo’s keen eye was on the bottle in Jesse’s hand and never on Genji, who would slip the empty bottles under the bed and supplemented new ones out of his oversized coat. Jesse found it amusing. He remembered back in Blackwatch how Genji always found a way to sneak in contraband. Jesse leaned back and allowed himself to listen to the two brothers talk. His body relaxed as he tipped the empty bottle in his hand. Hanzo had said half a beer. By the time the archer gave him the bottle, it was more like a quarter. He was not complaining though. The medicine still in his body made him loopy enough.

By his count, Genji was on his seventh beer. It wasn’t surprising. The man could really hold his liquor and what he brought was watered down swill. Hanzo must have had around four. Neither man seemed particularly inebriated, but he could see the glaze in their eyes. 

That was when Genji brought out the whiskey. Hanzo scoffed it at first, but after a few shots he was placid, lounging on the end of Jesse’s bed like a cat, his eyes stayed on Jesse. “Only half a beer,” He pointed at him. “Right?”

Jesse held up the empty bottle that still in his hand. “Same bottle, Sunshine. I ain’t even feeling it.” He smiled and looked to the man seated on the floor. “How’re you feelin’ it?”

Genji smiled and managed to make it to his feet. “Master Zenyatta is planning on early morning meditations.” He stretched out his back. “I will take the remaining whiskey and put it waaaay over here.” He stepped to the other side of the room. “You see, Hanzo. Way over here. And on the floor, where McCree cannot bend over and reach.”

Hanzo’s hand went straight into the air, giving his brother a rude gesture. Jesse smiled. Drunk Hanzo was kind of adorable, in the murderous sense. 

Genji gave a little wave. “Take care, brother.” He said. “Drink some water.” Genji moved back over, putting a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “He’ll be a kitten the rest of the night. One thing I know about Hanzo, he gets friendly, if you know what I mean.” He gave a little wink, grabbed the remaining takeout from the table and was gone, the door locking behind him.

The room filled with silence as the younger Shimada left. Hanzo groaned and laid back. “Thank god….it is quiet.” He mumbled. “Genji can be so loud.”

Jesse watched the man sprawl out and smiled. “Is that so, kitten.”

Hanzo glared, arm over his head. “I am never a kitten.” His face was flushed from the alcohol and Jesse could not help but admire his form again. “So….not to sound rude or crazy or...whatever but-”

“I sucked your cock earlier, yes.” He said arm draped over his eyes. “Please refrain from telling anyone too.”

Jesse shook his head. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Jesse grabbed the spare pillow from the bed and threw it to the floor, as well as a blanket.

Hanzo scowled, watching the objects. “What are you doing, Buckaroo.”

“Giving a diversion. You don’t want Genji talkin’. I sure as hell don’t want him blabbing ‘til kingdom come. Now if he breaks in, he can see you had a bed.”

“You think I am sleeping with you?” Hanzo lazily sat up, the tie holding his hair up falling away. He blinked slowly as the dark hair gently framed his face.

“Angel, I expect you here in my bed,” He moved over to give Hanzo room. “Come on.” He patted the mattress firmly. “It ain’t great, but I like the company.”

Hanzo crawled up the bed slowly and laid down beside him, facing him. “I don’t want to hurt you,” He mumbled as Jesse pulled him in close. 

“Lamp is by the bed, pull the string.” Hanzo turned and followed the instructions and soon the room was dark except for the faint lights of the city below shining through the window. Jesse rested his forehead against the other man. “I owe you one.” He kissed his eyelids gently.

Hanzo let out a deep sigh. “Just tonight...I am too drunk to say no to you.” He mumbled.

Jesse smiled. And kissed his sleeping forehead, thinking back to Hanzo’s poem ‘And the coolness of your smile is stirring of birds between my arms’ He felt the man shifting, melting his body further into Jesse and he felt the stirring in his chest. His hands went to his hair and softly stroked the silken locks.

“When I first saw you with your smile so tender, my heart was captured, my soul surrendered. I'd spend a lifetime waiting for the right time Now that you're near the time is here at last.” Jesse mumbled, kissing him more.

“Mmm?” Hanzo shifted, nuzzling him. “Thought you didn’t know poetry.”

“Naw, baby,” He smiled, kissing his forehead. “It’s better than poetry. It’s Elvis.”


	9. Always on my Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And maybe I didn't hold you  
> All those lonely, lonely times  
> I guess I never told you  
> I'm so happy that you're mine

“Huh,” Jesse stood, holding his tool bag in his hand as he looked in at Hanzo’s bathroom. The room was destroyed. Pipes protruded from the wall at strange angles. The wall itself was no longer where a wall should be, but in pieces on the floor. He scratched his head as he stepped into the room and a piece of tile crunched under the weight of his boot. Most of the damage seemed confined to the tub area itself.“So...what happened again?” He bent and picked up the jagged remains of the shower head, twisting it in his hands. He turned when there was no response.

“Pipe broke,” Hanzo stood back in the main room, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His eyes were on the window, looking out.

“Huh,” Jesse set the bag in his hand down on the seat of the toilet and stepped into to tub, hearing more scraping and crunching of tile. “See, when you said the pipe broke, I was lookin’ for something more along the lines of a leak.”

“There was a leak.”

Jesse turned and raised both eyebrows high. “Leak?” He pointed. There one short affirmative nod from the other man, who still would not tear his eyes away from the window. Jesse turned back and looked at the fist-sized indents in the remaining wall. The drywall itself had warped and helped the pungent smell of standing water. Technically it was a leak, he mused.

“I attempted to fix it. Apparently, I am a very bad plumber.”

“Was your solution ‘punch the leak’? Cause that’s what it sure looks like-” He stopped himself with a sigh. He stepped out, sat on the toilet and looked at the massacre in front of him. “Well, next time, just call me.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I know I told you I could get this fixed, lickety-split, but I think I need to push back that timeframe.”

He looked up and found the man leaning against the doorframe, his eyes were downcast, now finding the sink interesting, a tight frown on his concerned face.

“Babe, this was just a little more than I was expecting.” He absentmindedly scratched at his beard, trying to figure out how to tackle this new problem. “I am going to have to put in an order for new pipes and I’ll have to take down the rest of the wall, I’m afraid. Shit.”

Hanzo shifted. His eyes moved to the wall and then to the pipes. The frown deepened, “Can you handle it?”

“Aw, yeah,” Jesse smiled, he reached out and nabbed Hanzo’s middle and pulled him into his lap. He curled his arms around the other man and rested his chin on the other’s shoulder. “It ain’t the worst accident I’ve seen, but it is just gonna take a lot more work. I’m afraid I’ll have to charge you more.”

“I meant--”

“I know,” Jesse cut him off. He lifted the side of his shirt, showing the healing wound. “No more bandages even. Angie says she will clear me for duty soon too. It’s been almost three weeks.” He leaned against the other and put a hand on Hanzo’s knee. Slowly he began to draw circles there with his thumb. “I am all good in all areas, even if she don’t clear me.” His voice dropped as his hand traveled slowly up the other man’s thigh. “And I really can’t get started workin’ on your pipes here.” He hand rested on Hanzo’s ass and he gave a quick squeeze. “But I can think of some other pipes that could use my attention.” He nuzzled lightly against Hanzo’s jaw. 

“I am not being seduced while you are on the toilet,” Hanzo voice was full of mirth as stood up, leaving Jesse feeling cold. “And we agreed, we can’t risk sex until you are medically discharged. I won’t explain why you ended up in another hospital bed.” 

The man could make an accounting record sound delicious. Jesse licked his lips and followed Hanzo out of the bathroom. The two of them had not fucked in the traditional sense. Much to his pleasure though, Hanzo saw no problems with sucking him off. The only stipulation was that Jesse had to be on his back.

“Then let’s not fuck, but get naked and roll around a bit,” He grabbed at Hanzo;s hand and pulled him to the empty bed. He dropped his weight down sharply, putting the archer off balance. Hanzo gasped as he was forced to drop into Jesse’s lap. Jesse seized the opportunity and pressed his mouth against the other in a heated kiss, using his parted lips as an opportunity to caress Hanzo’s tongue with his own.

Slowly, Hanzo’s arms wrapped around the burly cowboy’s shoulders as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss. Fingers worked their way into Jesse’s hair, knocking the hat off his head and onto the floor. 

Against his stomach, he could feel Hanzo’s hardening erection and it elated him. Just his simple kisses could get this other man going. He pulled back and began to work on the ties of his training gi. “Damn, baby.” He moaned as Hanzo kissed the top of his head. “Let me show you how well I am.”

Hanzo grunted and lifted himself up, off his lap just enough so Jesse could slide his pants over his hips. Jesse lavished the bare flesh of Hanzo’s ass as he pulled him in closer, feeling the hard cock rub against his stomach.Jesse groaned and rolled Hanzo’s hips, giving the other man friction and feeling the cock drool onto his shirt.

“Lay back,” Hanzo breathed out the ordered.

Jesse did as he was told, laying there with Hanzo over him, his knees bent over the side still. The way Hanzo looked as he straddled his hips was almost enough to make him come. His gi was still mostly on his body, hanging open, but the tie still bunched around his waist. His pants were off just enough to free the other man’s cock, and what a lovely cock it was. Hanzo rolled his hips, giving Jesse a show. His cock dripped with precome, making the ladder of piercings shiny with wetness. The man was a damn tease. 

He felt powerless under him, but at this instant, he did not care. Hanzo was dominating in the most delicious way. Jesse could handle being under this man’s power. Hanzo’s hands moved over his broad shoulders and down his chest, stopping at the buttons of his shirt and slowly, methodically, they began to pop them open one by one. 

Jesse groaned and flexed his muscles, hoping that maybe he could get this to go faster. “Hanzo,” He moaned loudly as his shirt was fully opened to the morning air. Hanzo pushed it aside but did not strip him of it. He wanted Jesse to stay flat on his back. Jesse let out another loud moan as the archer leaned down and took a nipple into his mouth. Hanzo looked up at him with a glare. “If you wish to continue this, Cowboy, you better learn to quiet yourself.” 

His hands went to Jesse’s flank, inspecting his scar for any redness or irritation. Hanzo grunted in approval as he found none. He leaned down and planted a delicate kiss above the circular scar, enticing a low moan from the man under him. His tongue ran over the healed flesh without saying a word.

Deft hands moved lower still, toying with the garish belt buckle Jesse insisting on wearing everywhere. He made quick work of it and the zipper, tossing the belt over his shoulder. Hanzo’s hands moved to massage his thighs and he moved his body lower still on Jesse, straddling his thighs.

Jesse tossed his head back and covered his mouth to conceal another moan as Hanzo palmed his erection hard through his pants. He felt like he would melt into the mattress. “Baby,” He moaned out, knees shaking from a mixture of the awkward position and pleasure. “Baby, please.”

Hanzo’s hand moved into Jesse’s pants, stroking his cock without releasing it. “You want more?”

Jesse let out another loud moan and nodded his head. “Baby, I wanna get all over you. I wanna mark you all over and shot it from the rooftops.”

A smirk played on Hanzo’s lips as he pulled Jesse out. The other hissed at the cool air on his erection and he bucked his hips, watching as Hanzo took him in both hands. “I ain’t one to complain, especially in matters like this,” He breathed out. “But if you would, I would kinda like to kiss you.”

Hanzo looked up at him, slowly twisting the cock in his hands as he worked it from base to tip. His fingers moved to the tip of Jesse and slowly swirled his finger along the head, smearing the precome all along his shaft. He leaned down and took the head into his mouth, lips closing around the tip and he made the most luscious noises as he bobbed his head.

Jesse let out a guttural sound and thrust upwards. “Hanzo, Darlin’,” He pleaded. “Baby, I want...I wanna touch you.” He moved his hands to the other’s shoulders, yanking him up. “I ain’t gonna lay here...I wanna make you howl.”

Hanzo crawled back up his body and their lips met with a clash of teeth and tongues. Jesse growled low in his throat and rolled them over, pressing his weight into Hanzo as he explored the other’s mouth with his own. Hanzo let out another shameless moan as Jesse moved his lips down his neck, worshiping the flesh and leaving behind deep red totems of his affection. 

Hanzo’s hands moved over his shoulders, pushing the flannel shirt down to his elbows and rolled his hips against Jesse’s, letting out a moan as he locked his legs around Jesse’s knees and bucked his hips up.

His mouth sought out any available flesh as he felt a familiar pooling in his stomach. “Darlin’,” He groaned, wrapping his arms around his middle, pulling him upward to meet his thrusts. Their cocks danced together, jutting against one another, trapped between their stomachs. He moaned as the piercings rolled against his own hard flesh, creating a wholly new sensation against his throbbing member. “Ain’t gonna last long at this rate.” His arms tangled in the shirt he still wore as Hanzo’s ravenous hands grabbed fistfuls of his ass, forcing him to pummel harder. 

The headboard banged against the wall hard as the mattress squeaked, threatening to give out under them. Jesse choked back a sob as he attempted to lift a leg, only to have his jeans cut into the flesh, leaving him at the mercy of the fabric that restrained him. His boots dug into the sheets and he felt the swell growing in his belly. 

He breathed out the other’s name into his neck as he came apart in his arms, shuttering his release. 

Hanzo’s hands grasped harder, pulling the hips against him as his own wave of orgasm came. Blunt nails bit into the flesh, leaving crescent markings as he raked his nailed upward, leaving red welts in their wake.

Jesse buried his face in the nape of Hanzo’s neck, panting softly as his erratic breathing returned to normal. Hanzo’s legs were still locked around his own, his body trembling in the aftermath. “Honeysuckle,” he moaned, leaving flighty kisses along his shoulder and he rolled to the side. “You okay? Yer awfully quiet.” He looked up slowly, catching Hanzo’s glazed eyes. 

Hanzo hummed and curled up against Jesse. “You are a mess,” He said quietly, hands moving back to the fresh scar. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Jesse stroked his cheek, “Really? I was the one on top of you, ruttin’ and squalerin’.” He kissed his nose and cheek and eyelids. “If anything, I should be askin’ you that,” He mumbled and planted a soft kiss to the corner of Hanzo’s smiling mouth. “What?” He nuzzled. 

Hanzo reached off the bed and picked up a towel, making quick work of cleaning up their mess, trying in vain to hide the smile on his lips. “It is nothing,” Jesse pulled him back down and against his chest. 

“Naw, there is somethin’,” He stroked the silken strands of hair. “Tell me, Honeybee.”

Hanzo bit his lower lip, “I like,” He paused, soothing the hair on Jesse’s chest. “I like it when you call me things.” He leaned in and left a chase kiss on his sternum. “No one calls me….nice things.”

He looked into Hanzo’s coal colored eyes and his smile widened. He grabbed Hanzo around his arms and rolled on top of him, kissing along his jaw. “Honeybee! Sugarbear! Cuddle Muffin!” He blew a raspberry against Hanzo’s neck, causing the other man to squeal and beat his fists against his chest. “Moon Pie.”

Hanzo snorted and covered his mouth. “Enough!” He cried out, slapping Jesse’s shoulder. “Get up, you awful barbarian! I have to get to work!”

Jesse gave his nose one final peck before moving off, straightening up his clothing and flopping back on his elbows. He watched as Hanzo moved out of the bed, retying his pants and top. “You are quite beautiful, Honeybee.”

Hanzo huffed and stood up, pulling his hair back tight. He turned and looked back, his dark eyes still soft. “I have a job to go to now. I cannot spend my days gallivanting with you.”

Jesse looked back at the bathroom. “So,” He let the word hang in the air for a moment, trying to formulate his words before speaking, “Are you okay?” He sat up on the edge of the bed.

Hanzo’s posture hardened a little, his voice went icy, “Of course. Why?” 

Jesse motioned to the bathroom. “Look, I won’t ask what happened or why it happened but,” He looked at the ceiling. “I don’t know what...we are, but yer my friend and...that is…”

“I had a bad moment,” Hanzo moved to Jesse but stayed just out of his reach. “Just a very...bad moment.” His eyes moved to Jesse’s hands, not really looking at the other. He bit at the inside of his mouth and waited for Jesse to respond, waited for him to prod further.

But he didn’t. Jesse just stood there and waited. 

It suddenly flooded out of the smaller man like a wave crashing onto Jesse, “I saw the attack on the television and no one would tell me what was going on and,” He swallowed and looked to the ceiling. “I thought you died.” 

Instantly, Jesse was in his space, his arms crushing him close. Large calloused hands carded through Hanzo’s hair, holding him tight against his shoulder. Hanzo felt his eyes flutter closed as he drank in the scent of the other.

“Truth be told,” Jesse mumbled into his hair. “I thought I died too.” He opened his mouth again to make a quip about the experience, only to find there was none. “I heard a dead woman when I was driving. I didn’t put it together at the time but, I thought a dead woman was guiding me through the streets. Her voice was telling me what to do.”

Hanzo’s arms slowly moved, encircling his waist. “Did you tell anyone about the hallucinations?”

“I don’t think I was hallucinatin’,” he chuckled, voice still low, quiet. “I ain’t particularly religious anymore but,” He trailed off. In his mind, it sounded insane still, but reasonable. Once the words started tumbling out, he regretted it.

“But you think a dead woman was helping you?” Hanzo closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Jesse’s soft chest against his cheek.

“I think it was Commander Amari,” He said. “Ana. She helped me.” Jesse shook his head and pulled away, moving over to his things. “Ah, forget about it. Loss of blood and all that is probably makin’ me think that way.”

Hanzo nodded. The room was uncomfortable now. He didn’t know why Jesse chose him to confess to, especially about the aftermath of the attack. He bit his lip again and took a chance. “I saw my grandmother. After she died. I...I saw her in the gardens, under a tree.”

Jesse turned and looked at the other man. Hanzo’s gaze was on the ceiling, fists clenched at his sides.

“No one believed me and they thought I was just grieving but I saw her there and,” Hanzo brought a hand up, rubbing the back of his neck. “And she never spoke to me, but I think she wanted to make sure I was safe.”

“Well, I didn’t see my ghost. She just yelled at me a lot, ”Jesse smiled and moved over, kissing his forehead. “Can we...talk? I mean...I know we are talking but...I mean, can we talk about us?”

Hanzo pushed him back, “I have to go to work. You….Angela is going to wonder why you are late.” He turned and headed out of the room before Jesse could stop him.

Everyone compared Hanzo to a lone wolf; hard to get close to and preferring to do things on his own. Genji stated that he needed to be the leader, that he was born and bred to command and that is why he refused to fall into rank because it was beneath him. For a long time, Jesse agreed with that comparison.

When Jesse had been a kid, he cared for a feral cat that lived outside his house. It took months of careful work for him to even find that it was a singular animal and not a pack of wild cats. Abuelita Rosa had chased the tawny cat away with a broom every time she found it in the yard, but Jesse insisted that he wanted it as a pet.

One day, when setting out a bowl of dry food, the cat came out. It was a thin creature with patches of missing hair and only half of one of his ears. It stayed cautious in the bushes as Jesse set the food down, and bolted out to eat. Jesse could not touch him. The thing would run if he reached down to pet at him. But he loved the creature. It was his. He was the only one who cared for the thing.

He was sure that the affection only went one way. The cat swatted at him and would bristle if he got too close. 

Hanzo, Jesse figured, was like that cat. Tough as nails, but you had to earn his affections. Plus, he was the only one that could get the man purring like a kitten under him.

Jesse shouldered his bag and headed out to start his official day.

_________

Jesse sat against the open window, lips wrapped around the secret cigar that he had hidden behind the drawers of his dresser. Everyone was working harder since the fiasco in South Africa, Jesse included. He let his fingers roll the cigar slowing, drawing in deep the smoke and letting it burn in his lungs before he released it out the window. 

Timing had become everything. He had been set to work half days up with Winston in the control center, basically doing busy work until Angela relieved him into active duty again. In the mornings, he would go on a walk with the good doctor where she would monitor his progress and compliment him on his healing capabilities. She would leave him in the caring hands of Winston at ten, precisely, when her talents were needed in training and running drills. 

He would then spend his time with the space ape until noon when he broke for lunch. Lena would escort him to the canteen, where he would spend quality time with the rest of the rag-tag bunch, Hanzo included. Lena would then escort him back to his rooms, where she would sit and work on her own accounts on her tablet. 

Jesse would insist at one-thirty that he did not need this close of an escort, that he was an adult and could care for himself. Lena reminded him of his smoking habit and the ill-effects of nicotine on his system. She was right, of course.

At three, she would leave. It was his only time to himself and he utilized it to the fullest. He normally did not smoke heavy cigars, but his cigarillo supply had dwindled to nothing and his emergency supply of stale cigars was his last resort.

Hanzo knew he snuck them, how could he not? But he refused to comment on it. Jesse was happy with the arrangement. Happy that Hanzo never asked why he reeked of stale smoke. Happy that he does not need to ever explain his actions.

Hana or Lucio or any number of other team members would come by to collect him for dinner. The thought was that he would use this time to rest, and he usually did end up laying down for several hours, though he never slept. 

He would head back to his quarters usually around ten when everyone else would take their leave and retire for the night. He spent several nights wandering the base alone. He found it too quiet most nights.

Hanzo would come to him at midnight. The other man moved in silence. Jesse had stayed out to smoke one night and came back to find the archer on his bed already. He didn’t question why he could not hear him enter, it was part of the mystery that was cloaked him.

Jesse took a final drag of the cigar in his mouth, savoring the burning in his lungs before putting it out. He hid the remains back in his drawer once it was cool and laid on the bed, arm over his chest. 

He hated it here. Hated the quiet. His mind would drift in and out of uncomfortable memories. He found his mind would wander away from him, over and around sparks of memories and conversations. Before he knew it, he would find hot streaks running down from his eyes. His brain burning with a singular thought that eluded him. A voice in his mind. He thought he forgot the deep rumbling gravel of that voice and the authority it held over him. 

Jesse sat up and rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand, hoping to convince himself of...something.

He reached over and grabbed a beer, popping off the cap with a flick of his thumb and downing it in a matter of seconds. He hadn’t thought of the old man in years. What triggered it now, of all times? He groaned and threw his legs over the side of the bed and threw the bottle into the waste bin. It was the biggest pain of wanting the other man in his bed, he was meticulously clean and demanded nothing less from Jesse.

He snatched the hat off of the table and planted it firmly on his head as he grabbed his piece and holster. His brain needed cleaning and alcohol at this time of the day would only cause him more conversations with Angela then solve anything.

The stroll to the firing range was quiet still. He punched his access code into the door of the ranges and headed in. Normally he stayed on the left side, at range four. 

The door slid open with ease and he stepped in, finding Torb talking to Zenyatta about some robotics thing. “See, I found it out there and the poor thing just seemed so scared--”

Normally, he would have been interested in such gossip. Torbjorn loved his turrets like children. “Ah! Agent McCree, how is your side doing this afternoon.” Zenyatta interrupted the speech to float over to Jesse. Jesse smirked. So even omnics tired of talking about omnics.

“Very well, thank ya. Just headin' down to practice-”

“The range is currently being...occupied by Torbjorn’s newest turret. I happened upon it today while exploring.”

Torb’s face soured at that. “Now listen here-”

Zenyatta took Jesse’s arm. “Systems are malfunctioning and it is going a little...trigger sensitive. Please do not go down there.”

Jesse stopped. “Trigger sensitive?” He looked to the smaller man. Obviously, that was the line he told Zenyatta, but it was an odd one to use to describe his machines. He nodded thought. “Well, do ya need me to go in and--?” He made a finger gun motion to prove his point.

“Oh no! The poor thing is just startled by sudden movement. And noises. And other humans. I will have it sorted out by tomorrow.”

“Wait...what?” Jesse blinked as Zenyatta began to lead him back the way he came. “Since when does his turrets--”

“How is Mr. Shimada and you getting along?” Zenyatta said louder than his question. I have heard from Genji that you are becoming remarkable friends.”

Jesse’s neck grew hot. “Well, Angie did ask him to check on me when I first got out. I heard he’s really taken with Hana. She is becomin’ fast friends with him too.” Jesse tried to flip the subject back to the turret malfunction. He was not sure what Hanzo and he had currently and, truth be told, he was not wanting other people butting their opinions in.

“Fraternizing at work,” Torb huffed, changing the subject back. He locked Jesse with a stare from his one good eye. “It happened all the time back in the day. Young agents were the problem. All full of hormones and in tight spaces,” He removed the wrench from his belt and twirled it, almost absentmindedly. Jesse felt himself sweat. Flashbacks came to his mind of when he first joined, of the Swede sitting him down one day and gave him “The Talk”. It was a mortifying experience then that he was not looking to repeat. “I remember back in the day I found Jack in the rec room closet with Gabe, their pants-”

“Nope!” Jesse did not stay to hear the end of that sentence. He turned and waltzed right out of the range. 

Zenyatta watched the other man disappear, moving quite quickly for someone recently hospitalized. He was pleased to see the recovery. He turned to Torbjorn. “Was there really that much fraternization happening?”

“No!” The man shot back, “Jack and them were far too professional. At least to get caught. I just had to get him out of here. I can’t have him spooking my Bastion now.” 

“Ah,” Zenyatta nodded. “So the commentary over relationships was just because you knew it would make him uncomfortable and leave.”

Torbjörn twirled the wrench in the air and slipped it back into his tool belt. “I just wanted to know if he manned up yet and asked that boy out. He’s spent more time mooning over him and giving him goo-goo eyes than I care to witness.”  
______________

Hanzo slipped into the console desk and set down his bag without anyone noticing him. He prided himself on the idea that he could disappear and reappear without regard. He placed his hands on the smooth service to bring up the keyboard. The computer let out a loud bong as Athena’s logo flaring up on the screen. “Good Morning, Mr. Shimada. Welcome back. Your last log-in was seven hours and thirty-six minutes ago.”

He felt his neck grow hot as he felt eyes upon him. “Good morning,” He grumbled to the computer system. “You don’t need to announce when I come in,” He added.

Athena’s logo whirred and disappeared. The damn thing obviously making a point to him. He was forty-five minutes late to work today. He prided himself on his punctuality. Athena obviously did too. He was late due to that damn cowboy.

“Hey, Hanzo,” Lena wheeled her chair over and made a dead stop next to his workspace. Hanzo cringed at the nearness of her. “What’s up? You are never late for work, Luv.”

“I had a rough morning,” Hanzo stated and began to pull up files to process. “My shower is broken.” 

“Aw, Luv!” Lena crooned, leaning forward. “You should talk to McCree, he’s dandy with those things. Way back when I had this huge-”

“Thank you, it is taken care of,” Hanzo’s fingers moved across the keys, trying to show this woman that he really was not interested in conversation.

Lena persisted. “So you already talked to Jesse?”

“It is taken care of,” He said again, with a little more coldness in his voice, opening the second document that was sent to him and began to read.

Lena nodded. “Very good with his hands, if you know what I mean,” She nudged him with her elbow. “And trust me when I say, he is not a man I mind looking at with his shirt off.”

Hanzo scowled deeply, he opened his mouth to tell the woman what she could do with her information on McCree but was interrupted. The file on his screen began to flash red. Every other document began to lock down. He removed his hands and pushed back, “I did nothing.”

Lena jumped up and let her fingers fly over the keyboard. “Athena! What is going on?!”

“Hanzo Shimada don’t have clearance to look at these files.” The computer system said cooly. “It will lock you out. Ownership of these files is moving to a higher agent.”

Hanzo blinked and looked at Lena. “What does it mean I don’t have clearance? I am an agent now, aren’t I?”

Lena leaned down. “Athena! This is Agent Oxton, code name Tracer,” She gave her identification number then placed her hands on the screen for fingerprint identification. “Bring up those files.”

The files flashed onto the screen, simple news stories it seemed. Lena flipped through the tabs quickly. “Petty crimes, small operations, break-ins, and robbery.” She looked back. “Athena, what flagged these stories?

“They have a similar signature,” The computer informed. “Winston is looking into any activity that could be tied to Talon.”

“What was flagged specifically?” Lena ordered, scrolling through the text. Athena brought up an article. It was simply entitled, “Malaysian dignitary robbed”. Lena looked to Hanzo and shrugged. “Athena, I don’t understand-”

Athena blipped, a passage of the article circled in red. The middle of the story described two assailants in the robbery, both masked, breaking into the dignitary’s home. One held a specialized weapon and the second was a sniper. The article simply said, “Is the mysterious Soldier 76 now working alongside Shrike?”

Hanzo reached out, enhancing the artist interpretation of the two figures. Both were dressed in black. The artist drew full face masks over them, one with a visor, the other in a dark full face mask. The men stood shoulder to shoulder in the picture, same height and build. Underneath it stated, “What is their goal?”

“You think they are Talon?” He looked to Lena, indicating the two figures. 

Lena shrugged, “I don’t know what to think. There is so little information out there. They are not claiming to be a part of any group,” She turned back to the computer. “Athena, what information can you provide on Solider 76 or Shike?”

“Soldier 76 and Shike are classified,” Athena stated bluntly. The files went away from the screen. 

“Are they Talon?”

“That is classified.”

“Terrorists?”

“That is classified.”

Lena kept going, naming every organization and every crime syndicate in her memory. It all came back classified. 

“By who? Who classified this?” Lena demanded. “Athena! We are the only one’s left! Who is keeping it classified?”

“Commander Jack Morrison.”

______________

 

“I’m tellin’ you, something real hinky is goin’ on here,” Jesse leaned down to whisper across the table, looking around at the others in the mess hall suspiciously. “This ain’t normal.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow, setting down the fork. “Why are you whispering. There is no one else near us.” He folded his hands and placed them on the table in front of him., giving his full attention to the man in front of him.

Jesse banged his fists on the table, causing the glass next to him to clatter, “There is something going on around here!” He paused as Lucio and Hana stopped their conversation to look over at him. He continued when they continued, “I went down to the range today and-”

“There was a turret malfunction. It was in the meeting briefs,” Hanzo shook his head and picked up his tea and took a sip. “You should read your emails more often.”

“Hanzo!” He whined. “I read my mail. I knew it was, but Torbjorn was acting mighty strange. He” Jesse blinked, realizing that this was not the conversation he meant to have. “Wait, no! I ain’t talking ‘bout Torb and his whatever. People have been acting really weird to me today.” He leaned down again. “Have they been acting weird to you too?”

Hanzo rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, “They are always acting strange around me. They still do not trust me.” He picked up his fork and continued to eat. “Are you just now noticing that our team is comprised of odd individuals?

“Torbjorn wanted to give me the sex talk,” He grumbled low. “I think he knows something.”

Hanzo set down his fork slowly and brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose and tried to rid himself of a headache that he knew he would have soon. “And what is this something that he thinks is up?”

“Well, you know...the whole sitting and….against each other…” He waved his hands slowly around. “With us,”

And there was the headache. Hanzo began to rub slow circles into the sides of his nose. “What have you been saying to others?” His voice was low and fluid, but Jesse could hear the anger under the surface. He opened his eyes pinned Jesse to the spot. 

“Nothin’!” Jesse held up in hands, scooting back to give him extra space to flee. “I swear, Honey.”

Hanzo’s eyes narrowed further, his jaw set. “What have you said?”

Jesse swallowed and sat back, looking around. Lucio and Hana had stopped eating again and were watching. Angela was not as obvious, but her ear was turned towards them. Jesse felt his shirt cling to his skin as he sweated harder. “I...I ain’t said nothin’.” He whispered. “Hanzo, I just-” 

Hanzo held up his hand and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. He moved his hands back to the table. He sat there for a moment then picked up his glass and took a drink. The diners around them went back to their own dinners, but he could tell their ears were still turned them. “I was working with Lena today,” He said under his breath, setting his glass down. “She wished to have me employ you. And told me that you looked good shirtless.”

“That is weird. Why would she want to see me without my shirt?”

“Maybe because you are a very,” Hanzo paused and rolled his eyes. “Aesthetically pleasing man. She is a woman. She can appreciate that.”

“Oh no she wouldn’t,” Jesse growled and looked over at the woman sitting with Winston. “I ain’t her type at all.” He groaned and rubbed his tired eyes with the palms of his hand. “Can we talk in private?” He asked.

Hanzo shifted and looked around. He nodded and stood up, collecting his tray. “We can go talk now.” He said quietly. Jesse shoved his hands deep into his pockets, pulling out a cigarillo and placed it between his teeth as they walked. Jesse fidgeted, digging his hands deeper into his pocket and pulling out the lighter, twirling it in his fingers. He did not risk saying anything until he knew they were alone. 

He led them out, onto the balcony that overlooked one of the helipads. Gabriel had insisted on turning it into a basketball court and, much to Commander Morrison’s fury, one day two baskets were cemented in. Hana and Lucio currently were down there, playing one-on-one, but at this distance, they would not be able to see or hear anything. 

Jesse leaned against the railing and took no time with lighting the cigarillo and taking a long drag, feeling the smoke burning his lungs. He exhaled just as slowly, looking over at the other man. “What the fuck are we?” He asked.

Hanzo was quiet as he leaned next to him. His eyes were fixed on the DJ below. 

Jesse took another drag and continued. “I gotta know what this is before I can do anything more. It’s eatin’ me up inside. I like spending all my time with you, Honey Bee, but-”

“You want a label,” Hanzo finished. He twisted his hands before shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know what this is. Frankly, I would rather not name what this is.” He looked over to the cowboy and reached out, stroking a strand of toffee-colored hair back, letting his hand linger at the back of his neck. “I just am enjoying you.”

Jesse shook his head. “I gotta admit. I ain’t ever been in anything that could be considered...healthy.” He closed his eyes and leaned in as the fingers began to stroke his hair. “And I just...I don’t want you thinkin’ that this is something it ain’t.”

Hanzo pulled his hand away, “I see.” He looked back to the game below them. 

Jesse groaned and dropped his forehead so it rested on the railing. “This ain’t comin’ out right at all. Shit, I just don’t want broken fingers and angry mercenaries after me.”

“That is oddly specific,” Hanzo blinked and looked down at him. “It is by far the most bizarre rejection I have ever received.”

Jesse looked up at him. “I ain’t breakin’ up with you!” He stood up straighter. “No! I like this! I want this!”

“Why would I break your fingers or hire assassins to take you out?” Hanzo asked, eyebrows knitting together. 

“Not you, Sugar Pie!” Jesse groaned and rolled his head back, looking up to the sky. “Angie said if I went after you, she would break every finger in my hand and then reset them and I can only imagine what Genji’ll do to me.” He took a deep breath and waited.

“Why?” 

Jesse turned and took off his hat, holding it against his chest as a last ditch armor to what was to come. There was no turning back now. “I...I know what you did to that bathroom and I heard about what happened with Genji and...you ain’t exactly a pillar of emotional stability.” He waited for the explosion. Hanzo would go off on him so hard he would never speak to him again. Hell, he would be surprised if he would leave this balcony with all his remaining parts. But it never came.

He looked over to the other man, who looked completely dumbstruck. “Are you breaking up with me because my brother thinks that I cannot handle you rejecting me?”

Jesse shrugged, clinging tighter to his hat.

Hanzo snorted and covered his mouth. “Are you being serious right now?”

He nodded.

A deep rumbling chuckle erupted from Hanzo’s mouth. He turned away to cover it up, but it only made it worse. A thick, full body laugh ripped from him and he covered his face with a hand, tears rolling down his cheeks. “What the fuck, McCree?” His eyes shone in the dim light and he let out another cackle, dropping to his knees as he clutched the railing.

Below them, Hana and Lucio stopped their game to look up as Hanzo lost his goddamned mind. Jesse stood there in awe, unsure what to say. “I just don’t wanna hurt you,” he managed, feeling his heart sink.

“Holy fuck, McCree!” Hanzo cackled louder and punched him in the thigh. “I am not some wilting flower or a demure virgin!” He snorted again. “Did you really think that I had no idea what I was doing when I came onto you?”

Jesse shrugged. “Well, no.” He said quietly. 

Hanzo snaked his hand into Jesse’s and pulled himself up. “You are an idiot,” He smiled wide. “I have handled rejection before. I can handle you breaking up with me.”

Jesse stepped back, feeling completely foolish. He turned and headed back inside, crunching his hat in his hand as he stomped inside. 

“Wait,” Hanzo reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him back. “Jesse-”

“I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t hurting you,” He frowned. “It was tearing me up inside, thinking that I was gonna end up breaking you.”

“I am not glass,” Hanzo moved into him, looking up at Jesse. He held the prosthetic arm against his chest and kissed his knuckle. “When I saw you, I thought you were an idiot. You were loud and obnoxious and made up of every bad American stereotype that ever existed.”

Hanzo took Jesse’s hat and put it back on the cowboy’s head and Jesse felt the flair of anger melting away under the soft gaze. “Hanzo-”

Hanzo leaned up, wrapping his arms around Jesse and pressed a chaise kiss to his lips. “I thought you were cute,” He whispered. 

Jesse felt himself melt. He sighed and put his arms around Hanzo, resting his chin on Hanzo’s head, rocking him slightly. “Yer infuriating, you know that?”

Hanzo smiled, curling into his large arms. “I have been told I am difficult,” He stepped back and took Jesse’s hand again. “But I can be very accommodating as well.” He leaned in and kissed him again, tenderly. “Take me to your room, I can show you how easy I can be.”


	10. Treat Me Like a Fool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Treat me like a fool,  
> Treat me mean and cruel,  
> But love me.

Jesse got his first tattoo when he was sixteen. In hindsight, it was a terrible idea, but at the time it was the first time he really saw himself as a man. He lied to the artist about his age, paid in cash and got it out of the back room of a Chinese restaurant from a man named Fingers. It was a simple line design of a dagger and sparrow. It was nothing like his personality, but that is what you got when you told Fingers “I’m not sure, make it cool.”. It rested on his left shoulder and was hard to hide without a shirt. It was jagged in some areas and thin in others, and overall looked very much like the artist’s first attempt at tattooing.

Many times he regretted having that piece of ink on his body, but currently, it was his favorite thing in the world. Hanzo’s tongue licked out the map of the dagger as Jesse laid on his stomach, hips grinding into the mattress below him as he lounged.

“Tell me about this?” Hanzo’s deep voice whispered near his ear as his lips moved up his bicep, breaking the silence of the room.

Jesse’s mind was hazy. This was not what he expected when Hanzo dragged him back to his room by the hand, but in many ways, this was better. He had stripped of all his clothes, then he laid on his front at Hanzo’s request. Slow kisses followed, over his neck and shoulders and back. Hands slowly caressing him and he soon was in a deep state of relaxation. “Bout what?” He finally managed, propping his chin on his forearms as Hanzo kissed up to his elbow.

“Your tattoos,” He said. “This one,” He leaned back up and kissed his shoulder.

Jesse hummed and gave a little shrug, “Dumb drunk kid. ‘S The whole story.”

Hanzo chuckled and it sent goosebumps down Jesse’s back. Hanzo kissed along his shoulder blades. “How about your other ones?” He felt the bed shift and Hanzo straddled his hips. His hands were back on his shoulders, fingers moving slowly, digging into the flesh and causing a moan to erupt from Jesse’s mouth. “This one?” Hanzo’s hands moved to the back of his neck and traced out the line of his spine.

“Tell me about this one?” Hanzo’s hand brushed over the middle of Jesse’s shoulder blades, lightly rubbing at the raised flesh. He kept the other’s on top of him, enjoying the weight.

Jesse nuzzled against the pillows, “That the one with the pistol and the rose?” He asked.

Hanzo nodded, fingering the tattoo. Etched into his skin was a dark pistol that looked nearly identical to Peacemaker. A blue rose entwined the handle. “Why your gun?”

“Ain’t my gun. I got it fer both my Grans. They raised me, you know, shouldered me. Felt I owed it to ‘em. Helps me remember where I came from,” He smiled. “Gran taught me how to shoot a gun and how to fish an’ hunt. She tried her hardest. Lita Rosa is the other one. She always wanted to see blue roses.”

Hanzo nodded, his hands continued to massage Jesse’s shoulders, working out the tight knots that had formed there. Slowly, his hands moved outwards, to his arms and biceps, “And this one?” Apparently, he would be interrogating him on all his artwork tonight, Jesse groaned a little, trying to picture the exact tattoo. That one was another line design, geometric in the pattern of an Owl wearing a crown. Inside the belly of the owl sat the eye of Horus. “Got it to remember couple people that died,” He smiled. “Ain’t my design. It’s got a sister on an old friend. We got it together on the day of her mom’s funeral.” He smiled. “Ain’t seen her since then.”

Hanzo let out another hum of approval and moved his hands to his sides, causing Jesse to twitch under the light brush of experienced fingers. Jesse groaned, “Baby, stop. I ain’t needin’ to explain all by bad decisions tonight.” He shifted his hips to alleviate some of the mounting pressure.

Hanzo smiled and laid his body against Jesse’s, covering him with his own. “Then I won’t ask about the Blackwatch insignia and the noose on your leg.” He buried his nose into Jesse’s soft hair and kissed him there before resting his cheek against his shoulder, fingers finding the first tattoo again. “This is literally the worst.”

Jesse chuckled, “How do you know I don’t love it? You could have just really insulted me.”

“I apologize. I just assumed ‘drunk dumb teen’ meant that you were drunk and it was something you regretted,” He nuzzled. “I never saw you as the bird type.”

Jesse wanted to melt into the mattress as he felt his hot breath on the back of his neck. “I have thought about covering it. Just haven’t had the motivation. It ain’t insulting or awful, it just ain’t good.”

Slowly, Hanzo’s hand traced out the muscles of his back they lay again in the comfortable silence of the night. “You should get more.”

“And what should I get, Honeybun?” Hands moved to his lower back and traced out the dimples in his flesh. He groaned again, rolling his hips.

“My name. Across your ass,” Hanzo smiled “In bold writing so everyone can see.”

“Narcissist,” Jesse rolled onto his side and Hanzo followed his lead and laid by his side. Jesse’s hand moved up, tracing out the dragons on Hanzo. “But it is possessive. I kind of like that idea, Hanzo Shimada.” He kissed the palm of Hanzo’s hand. “I wouldn’t mind if you were to keep me.”

He studied the tattoo in the darkness of the room, the moonlight illuminating the yellows and light blues against the other’s skin. It almost appeared to glow in the light. “A man named Toshi created this,” Hanzo said. “He was a gifted artist. Many people would wait years to receive some of his work.”

Jesse smiled, “Fancy.”

Hanzo smiled as Jesse inspected his own artwork, “It was painful,” He admitted. “Toshi only worked in the traditional tebori.” Jesse’s fingers rolled over the clouds on Hanzo’s arm, enjoying the deep blues of the work. He had a passing familiarity with the practice. Genji had a similar tattoo and had spoken about the process. Unlike a gun, it was pressed into the skin and the deep shades came from overlaying colors. It took a skilled artist to create something so intricate.

Jesse kissed his wrist and pulled Hanzo in close, pulling their bodies together. “You know, I always thought dragons were pretty damn impressive. Never thought of getting one on me though.” 

“No?” He smiled. “You never wanted a dragon on you? Never?” He leaned in and kissed him. “Never wanted one coiled around you?”

Jesse let out a bark of laughter as Hanzo nipped playfully at his neck, “That is the worst damn line I ever had put over me. Though I like the sentiment.” His lips caught Hanzo’s in between his teeth. “But damned if I didn’t want you, Darlin’ I want you somethin’ bad.”

Strong hands slowly moved down Jesse’s sides, delicately mapping out the scars that reside there. “You have not been released back to duty yet.”

Jesse let out a whine in disapproval. “Baby, it’s been weeks. Yer killin’ me.”

“Can you not wait another day or two?” Hanzo leaned in and kissed Jesse’s nose as his hands wrapped around, pulling the other’s hips to be flush with his own.

“No,” Jesse let out another whine, thrusting forward to show Hanzo his need. “I need you, Honeybee. I need you in the worst ways.”

Hanzo’s hand carded through the thick hair covering Jesse’s chest, moving south. “I won’t leave you wanting,” His voice was soft as he took both Jesse and himself into his hand, slowly pumping. Jesse let out a mewl of need and rested his forehead against Hanzo’s shoulder and thrust into the tight fist. “We never talked about this before,” His tight, hot fist moved so slowly, driving Jesse to the cliffs of madness as the other chose now to tease him. 

“What?” Jesse felt sweat roll down his back as he grabbed Hanzo’s hips and thrust against him harder, wanting to feel that sublime heat, only to have Hanzo retreat back a fraction, denying him gratification.

“Do you top or bottom?” The words flowed out of his mouth like honey.

Jesse groaned and felt his cock leaking, slicking up both their hands. “Don’t you tease me,” He panted. “Don’t you dare.”

Hanzo’s finger moved to work Jesse’s head, fingers tracing the crown as he pushed the foreskin back. “I am not teasing. I want to know who to prepare.”

Jesse’s eyes rolled back into his head. He inhaled as Hanzo’s hand moved under his cock and teased at his testicles. Jesse rolled onto his back, letting Hanzo take the lead. His fingers moved further under, tracing at his taint and causing Jesse to cry out louder and spread his legs for access. “Oh fuck me!” he cried as a thumb pressed in.

Hanzo smirked and bit his neck. He used his knees to spread Jesse’s legs further apart. “If you insist,” And with that, his hands and lips were gone. Jesse’s eyes opened languidly as he watched Hanzo slip off the bed and kneel by his things. Jesse chewed on his lower lip and reached down to stroke his own cock, feeling the heavy weight of his erection flop in his hand. Already he was full to burst. It would take very little at this rate to send him over that cliff.

Hanzo returned, forcing Jesse’s knees apart again as he settled between his legs and smiled. His pupils were blown wide as he looked down at the sight of Jesse, spread out and exposed, just for him. He uncapped the lube in his hand and drizzled way more than was needed over Jesse’s firm member, allowing the clear liquid to drip down across his balls and into his ass’ crevice. 

“Kirei,” He breathed out, voice barely above a whisper as he took Jesse’s member back in his hand, stroking him slowly as his other hand moved to roll the lubricant over his puckered hole. 

Jesse’s leg twitched as he bent his knee up to give Hanzo more room to work, moaning as the pad of his thumb teased his twitching hole without penetrating, all the while Hanzo’s eyes were fixed on the lower half of his body. His other hand stopped pumping, instead, it sat there, at the base of his cock, holding him. Jesse reached down and covered the hand and began to help Hanzo pump him, “Don’t stop now.”

Hanzo batted his hand away as he started stroking him again. “Am I not allowed to admire how shameless you become?” His index finger teased at Jesse’s entrance, prodding at him slowly before thrusting a finger into him up to the knuckle.

Jesse gave him a devilish smirk before he dropped his head back and spread his arms wide on the bed and gripped the sheets. He arched his back in a despicable fashion and let out a succulent moan that was much louder than Hanzo expected.

“Lewd,” Hanzo smiled at the man below him. He curled his finger and searched out for that soft spot inside the other.

“You like it,” Jesse gasped, his eyes fluttering closed as Hanzo’s finger brushed that spot inside him. “You like me best when I am mouthy.”

“You are always mouthy,” A second finger worked inside him, slowly stretching him.

“Then you always like me,” Jesse smirked. He moved his hands up to grip at the pillow behind his head. “Admit it. You love it when I am- Ah!” His hips bucked as clever fingers brushed against the knot of nerves inside him, his cock leaving a pool of precome on his stomach. “Fuck, can you hurry up?”

Hanzo kissed his knee, his fingers scissoring more intently now. “Not yet. I don’t wish to hurt you, and this is such a lovely image.” Jesse had no idea how Hanzo could hold his composure. If it were him, the archer’s knees would be over his shoulders and they would be halfway to heaven at this point.

It took an eternity for Hanzo to add a third finger inside him. Jesse felt himself coming apart as his knees trembled, “Honey, if you don’t stick it in me soon, I’m gonna learn how to speak English good. You won’t be able to understand me soon.”

Hanzo smiled at that, fingers slipping out of his swollen hole. “I can barely understand you when you normally. You speak in metaphors, Jesse McCree.” Hanzo sat back and reached next to him, picking up the foil package of the condom. And fumbled. 

Jesse propped himself up on his elbows as he watched Hanzo’s slick fingers struggle with the package. “Kisama,” He swore loudly as his fingers refused to work to get the damn thing out.

“Whoa! Partner!” Jesse sat up as Hanzo’s frustrations reached a boiling point and he tried to tear open the condom package with his teeth, “Give it here.”

Frustrated, Hanzo threw the cursed object at Jesse, letting it hit his sticky chest with a wet slap. “Fucking thing!”

Jesse smiled and peeled it off his chest. He wiped it on the sheets next to him, removing most of the slick liquid from it, before opening it with ease, much to the discontent of Hanzo. “Com’ere,” He reached down and stroked Hanzo’s thigh. It seemed even the archer had his breaking point, “Lemme get this for you.”

Hanzo lifted his hips up, closer to Jesse as the other rolled the condom down his length slowly, giving him a few good strokes for good measure. Hanzo dropped his head forward and thrust into his hand. “Jesse,” He gasped as he rolled his hips as the cowboy grabbed the bottle of lube still on the bed and applied an ample amount to his hardon, slicking him up. 

Jesse grabbed a pillow and positioned it under his hips as he laid back as Hanzo moved over him. His mouth covered Hanzo’s as he wrapped his arms around the other, feeling the muscles ripple under his touch.

He moved his knees up, pressing against the other’s hips. “Fuck me, Hanzo,” He whispered into the other’s ear.

Hanzo grunted and pressed his head against Jesse’s entrance, pressing against the puckered flesh until it relented and swallowed him.

Both men moaned in unison as his head fully penetrated Jesse. Hanzo’s lips pressing sloppy kisses against the coarse beard of Jesse’s jaw as he held his place there, waiting for the other man to relax more before continuing. 

Jesse tried to regulate his breathing, knees shaking as he held Hanzo with his thighs. His asshole stretched to accommodate Hanzo’s length. His head was thick and engorged, filling every inch of his insides. “Feel’s good, Baby,” He moaned out, his hands roaming over Hanzo’s back, tracing out the bumps of his spine. “Gimme more.”

Hanzo nodded against his neck, his hands shaking as they grabbed Jesse’s hips and pushed farther into him, inch by delirious inch. Jesse almost came undone the second he felt the piercings breech him, rolling exquisitely over his insides. One. Two. Three. Four. He could count them as they pushed in, hard and unyielding against his strained insides. Hanzo’s breath was hot against Jesse’s neck as his body trembled with anticipation. “Give you more,” He echoed Jesse’s words, his voice hoarse as he pushed in that final inch.

Hanzo swallowed, steeling himself as he felt Jesse’s muscles clamp down around him. Hanzo groaned and lifted Jesse’s knee as he managed to get pulled in even deeper and stopped, waiting for Jesse to adjust to the sudden intrusion. 

Jesse hooked his legs around Hanzo, pressing open mouth kisses along the other’s shoulder. “Fuck me,” He panted out. “Hanzo, Baby, fuck me.”

Hanzo did not need to be told a second time. His strong hands moved to Jesse’s hips, holding him steady as he slowly pulled out. Soft words poured out of Hanzo’s mouth in a breathy wave, getting lost in the broad expanse of Jesse’s chest until the only thing that remained inside him was the thick head. 

Jesse moaned, encouraging the other on, wishing for the pace to increase. He wanted it so badly. He needed to feel that familiar soreness. “Hanzo,” He breathed out, moving a hand into the thick, ebony hair and pulling hard as his muscular hips drove forward, sheathing into him once again.

Jesse continued to vocalize his support, his flesh hand exploring every aspect of the other man’s back as his prosthetic held firm to the back of Hanzo’s head, keeping the other man close to his eager lips. Hanzo’s hips sped up pace as his grip tightened on Jesse’s sides, blunt fingernails leaving crescent-shaped marks in the tawny skin.

Flesh met flesh as Jesse’s hips moved to meet Hanzo’s own, his dick trapped between their sweat covered bodies, giving him not enough friction as he drooled precome all over Hanzo’s washboard abs. 

Hanzo shifted, digging his heels into the mattress as his grip tightened, hips slamming into Jesse as he claimed his mouth, tongue battling for dominance in the other’s mouth as he felt his body begin to tremble harder. 

Jesse moved a hand between them, grabbing his dick and began to pummel his own erection, feeling the tingling build in his belly as Hanzo’s thrusts met that knot of nerves within him over and over and over, threatening to tip him over the edge.

Hanzo’s hand met Jesse’s covering his and squeezing. The headboard banged loudly on the wall as the bed creaked, threatening to give out underneath the two men. Jesse panted and moaned and thrust and bucked as he felt the swelling in his groin.

He shattered, thick ropes splashed against his chest and neck as Hanzo’s hand continued to pump him in time with his own frantic thrusts, milking every last ooze of semen from his body.

Hanzo’s face was buried in the crook of Jesse’s neck and he moaned out. Hips snapped a final time deep into Jesse and Hanzo held himself there as his back arched back, tearing himself away from the other as he came in hot spurts. He gave several hard, erratic thrusts before finally, his arms gave up and he collapsed on top of Jesse.

The two lay there for what seemed like eons, basking in the afterglow. Jesse slowly felt his heartbeat return to normal, and the room came back into focus. His fingers lazily traced the pattern on Hanzo’s arm as he shifted, feeling a sudden emptiness as the other’s softening cock withdrew. “Damn,” He sighed.

Hanzo hummed in agreement, removing the condom and tying it off before disposing of it in the waste can. He let Hanzo lay on him for another minute, listening to his even breaths before he shifted, feeling the come on his chest and stomach drying.

“Honey Bee,” Jesse’s voice was ragged, exhausted. “I know you are mighty tired, but it’s customary that you get a rag.”

Hanzo lifted his head, his eyes bleary but soft He shifted and sat up, “Is that an American custom?” He teased as he moved to the bathroom. Jesse stretched his legs, knees popping in the process.

“Naw, Doll. I just don’t think I can feel my legs yet is all,” He relaxed back, removing the pillow that was still under him as Hanzo returned with a warm rag and cleaned them both up. In no time, Hanzo returned to his previous location, arm wrapped around Jesse’s middle, head resting on his right shoulder. Where he belonged, Jesse mused.

Hanzo laid in the quiet din of the room letting his fingers absentmindedly travel down the length of the other man’s arm, listening to the quiet heartbeat that thudded in his chest. He gave pause as his fingers touched the cool rim of metal that was his left arm. “What happened here?” He mumbled, mind traveling back to the conversation earlier. He let his hand travel further down, carefully tracing the etching of a skull that was carved into the frame.

“Ain’t a good story,” He said. “I was a fuck up and managed to get it blown off.” He flexed, giving Hanzo the ability to hold the prosthetic closer. “Nothing interesting at all there.” 

“And the tattoo?” He looked up. Jesse turned it so he could clearly see the simple line art of a skull. “Drunk dare.” He smirked. “Commander Reyes said I was a chickenshit and somewhere in there I got this done.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow. To Jesse McCree, everything had a story attached to it. Even the dullest outing became an epic adventure. Hanzo nodded though, deciding to not press it, obviously, it was still a sore memory. When Jesse was ready, he would tell it.

“I had a real tattoo on my arm before that though. Got it when I first joined up with Deadlock. It was an ugly thing. Always felt more like a branding than art, ya know? At the time, I thought it meant they were committed to me, you know? I was one of ‘em and they were a family. Took care of me. And I guess it was a brand. Deadlock was not known for letting associates leave once they joined up. We were sorta like cattle. The damn thing became an invitation for any gang to get me once I left. You know, I became this huge traitor to the cause and the what not. Didn’t matter if they weren’t Deadlock. The second I joined Reyes in Overwatch, I was the biggest damn snitch that ever existed past the Rio Grande.” He chuckled and rubbed the small of Hanzo’s back. “I swear to you, the day before I got this thing, I was telling Morrison that I wanted to get it removed or altered or something. I was sick of looking at it.”

Hanzo buried his face in his neck and began to shake. Jesse blinked, wondering what part of his story upset Hanzo. “Darlin?” He pulled back and gripped his shoulder.

Hanzo snorted, his face was red and contorted as he tried to control his composure and failed. He covered his mouth with both hands and let out another undignified noise. “Taking off your whole arm was a little extreme for a tattoo removal, McCree,” He managed, curling up on himself tighter as another fit of giggles overcame him. “I’m sorry,” He managed, a smile spread across his lips as he looked up at Jesse, tears running down his cheeks as he tried to control his outburst. “It’s not a funny story.”

“Yer right! It ain’t funny!” Jesse growled playfully, pinching at his side. He pulled Hanzo into his big arms, rolling on top and pinning him down against the mattress. He let his lips go to Hanzo’s neck and blew a raspberry. Hanzo let out an unbefitting squealed as he thrashed to get free. Jesse stopped. He looked up as Hanzo freed his hands and covered his mouth, whole face a brilliant shade of red. “Did you just-”

“Do not say a word to anyone,” Hanzo said slowly behind his hands. “Ever.”

“Are you ticklish?”

“No.”

“Are you lyin’?”

“No!”

“So if I-”

“No!” Hanzo thrashed under him, laughing as Jesse caught him around the middle and dragged him down.

_____________

 

Hanzo panted, sweat glistening off his back as he stopped to take a break from his morning jog. He found his routine had changed recently without him really noticing it. Usually, he was adverse to any type of disruption to his set schedule, yet the cowboy slipped into every aspect of his normalcy without rippling the tides of his anxiety. It was a new sensation and, he rather enjoyed the domesticity of it all.

It was unusual. And comforting.

Jesse had returned to running missions. Missions though, that were close to home. He spent every Tuesday running into the city for major supplies (some of which Hanzo figured were acquired from less that legal means). Hanzo himself found a way to integrate himself into the system. 

Genji had spoken to the others about his previous training, not as an assassin, but as a strategist. He had been president of the chess club in his high school. He had even made it to nationals. Genji assured him that he would have been the champion. The family business had come up though. His father needed him and frivolous pursuits fell to the wayside.

Hanzo turned a corner and headed to the familiar park. He would take a lap around it before heading to the cape and then back up to the base. His path was plotted out expertly and he had his timing down to seconds. He would be back by seven, showered, and able to crawl back into bed with his cowboy for a few minutes before needing to officially start his day.

Lena had asked him to run specs on a mission. She was going to Istanbul. Intel suggested that the mysterious soldier and Shrike were heading east, away from Asia and into Eastern Europe. Istanbul would be a gateway city, he predicted. Lena was going to head into the city with Mei and Hana. They could all pass as college students on a trip and gather information before they made a strike. She just needed to know which locations would be the best observation points. Mostly, they had to still stay underground and fly under the radar.

Reports came in daily from the gossip channels about Overwatch regrouping. That the icy disposition that caused the organization to go under had melted and that people were once again looking for heroes. Fan letters had been posted at old outcrops that begged to be let in, to become a legend. Hanzo wondered if any of those people understood the weight of it all.

The sun rose higher in the morning sky, causing the sky to turn from a brilliant pink into the calming blue. There had been no clouds this morning. It was going to be hot. Hanzo rounded another bend. Ahead would be a pastured area for sitting and picnics. On his and Jesse’s evening runs, they had often seen families sitting out with small children. Today though, he saw the short, stocky figure of Torbjorn and the tall, lithe figure of Zenyatta.

Hanzo slowed his pace and removed a bud from his ear, letting it dangle as he stepped forward. It was early. Zenyatta was usually meditating by now with Genji. He panted as he moved forward and saw the turret set in place ahead of them, gun pointing to the sea.

Zenyatta greeted Hanzo with a swooping wave of his arm. Torbjorn just watched. 

“Good morning,” He panted, sounding more out of breath than he realized he was. “It is early.” 

“It is precisely the right time to get things done. Nothing gets finished after nine.” Torbjorn huffed and moved to stand in front of the slightly rusted metal turret. Hanzo tilted his head. He had seen the Swedish man’s turrets before on the range as he adjusted their scope and range. This one looked much bulkier than the others. Very different.

“I must agree,” Hanzo said. “Work seems to be completed when people are not requiring things from you. But why are you out here? If the public saw this, they would think the omnics were-”

“It is much too early for the public to be out this way. You are the first living thing we have seen,” Torbjorn scoffed and moved over to his things, pulling out a picnic blanket. 

“This is still highly irregular. You should be at the base when you conduct-” Hanzo’s eyes moved to the machine. He could have sworn he saw it move on its own. “You cannot possibly tell me that it is still active? Winston will have kittens if he finds out you are testing this in public parks.”

Torbjorn raised an eyebrow and looked to Zenyatta. “Winston will...what?”

Hanzo’s face flushed when he realized how much he sounded like McCree there. His word choices were rubbing off on him. “We will shut this all down if it looks like the public will get hurt in any way.” He refocused. “How did you get that thing out here? All motorized vehicles are banned from this area.”

“I am the best damn engineer that Overwatch ever had. You don’t think I know how to move my work around without needing things like “motors” and “vehicles”?” The man used air quotes to emphasize his point. “Ha! You young pups all think alike. Can’t think outside the proverbial box.”

The turret behind him whirred. Hanzo’s eyes snapped over. Slowly, the gun of the turret followed a small butterfly that fluttered along in the morning breeze. Hanzo waited with bated breath for the bullets to fly and to eviscerate the tiny insect. Instead, it landed on the muzzle. There was a calming chirp from the machine.

Hanzo looked at the two men with wide eyes. “It is….alive?”

Torbjorn swore and moved back, “Hunk of junk! I told you to stop bothering with the cute and cuddly of the world!”

Zenyatta moved towards Hanzo. “It is an old Bastion unit,” He explained. “My friend, Mr. Lindholm found the poor creature lost in the woods. He brought the poor dear here and asked me to help acclimate it to Overwatch.”

Hanzo blinked a few times. “Wait...you want to...recruit that thing to...Overwatch?”

“Yes. I think Bastion would be a wonderful asset to our team,” Zenyatta said. “It still is timid to individuals. We are trying to teach it about the world. Our goal is to show people that not all omnics are bad.”

“My goal is to get this thing to stop acting like a gawed damned Disney princess!” Torbjorn made a large swiping motioned at a group of birds that formed around the Bastion, causing all but one to scatter into the trees. The yellow one that remained tilted his head, almost daring Torbjorn to make a move.

“My robotic brother, or “ro-bro” as Genji calls it, is quite popular with animals of all kinds. I have spent several mornings meditating with Bastion and have never once found myself so overwhelmed with wildlife.”

Hanzo looked at the monk in disbelief. “You and Genji….meditate with the Bastion Unit that was programmed to murder.”

“It is a peaceful creature, looking for harmony with nature. That is why it ventured down here this morning. There is to be a migration of butterflies. Bastion wishes to witness it.”

Hanzo watched the serene sight of the turret watching butterflies land on the red flowers. Zenyatta moved back over and sat near as the turret shifted back into its original state. Torbjorn threw his hands into the air and stalked away, murmuring to himself in Swedish.

Hanzo replaced the earbud in his ear and started up his music again, trusting that they understood how to handle this situation. Genji was also aware of this. It mostly was not his problem. He had his job to worry about. 

He looked at the time as he started to jog again. If he made it back, he would not have time to shower and then crawl back into Jesse’s arms. But he could just crawl back into bed and share a shower with the cowboy. He smiled as he picked up the pace.

____________

“Hey, Darlin, heard you were gonna be my eyes and ears here today,” Came the slow drawl through the comm link. Hanzo rolled his eyes and tried to repress his smile. 

“Good afternoon, Agent McCree. I want you to know all calls are being monitored for quality assurance,” His fingers moved over the computer in front of him, pulling up street cameras and making quick work to infiltrate their systems and get a good look at the target as well as McCree.

Jesse was reclined in a cafe seat, sipping on the cup in his hand. His hat was slung down over his eyes enough so any passerby could not tell that he was watching them. He wore a tight red checkered shirt and tight jeans with his famous cowboy boots, shined to perfection just that morning. He looked casual and approachable. He was the perfect operative for this mission.

“Sit up, McCree, you look like a slob,” Hanzo pulled up the notes that they had acquired. “Your target usually comes into the cafe at around eleven every day. She sits in the back booth and works on her laptop for around an hour. She is also an incorrigible flirt, so you should get along magnificently.”

“Ouch. You are breakin’ my little heart here, thinkin’ I’ll go around and flirt with anything with two legs.”

“I think you would flirt with a stump if it had decent curves,” Hanzo smiled. “Now, your job is simple, flirt with her, get near to her. The watch we gave you has the ability to get into her computer system undetected. You need to be within three feet of her for at least fifteen minutes.”

“I could sit in the booth behind her, that would be easier,” Jesse tipped back his coffee and set the cup aside, picking up his tablet to play with it.

“That is a big negative,” Hanzo smiled and pulled up photos from inside the cafe. “The booth she sits at is an island. It is positioned between a wall and the trash, so unless you plan on playing with yourself at the trash can, it won’t work.”

Jesse let out a dramatic sigh, which caused Hanzo to smile again. “Well, if I must take one for the team.”

Hanzo went quiet as he pulled up the schematics on the target. She was a young executive of urban planning at Vishkar’s Venice branch. The city was now a model for hard-light technology being used to restore historical monuments back to their original glory. The city looked just like it did when Casanova roamed the canals. They were hailed as geniuses, using their technology to preserve all historical monuments lost to time or age.

The name Vishkar had started popping up more frequently in their inquiries. It started easily enough, that their urban renewal projects were seated in the heart of destitute towns and rebuilding them from the ground up. There was little surprise with gang activity in those areas. It was the sheer number of reports involving the company that was concerning. They just needed a peek inside.

“So,” The slow drawl returned, breaking the silence. “How much quality assurance is goin’ n here today?”

“Huh?” Hanzo blinked, snapping back to reality. The woman hadn’t shown up yet.

“How many people are with you?” He asked. “How private is this line?”

Hanzo smiled. “Just me, but if things go bad, it is being recorded. Why?”

“Figured I got you cornered and you can’t evade me when you are supposed to be watchin’ me, “ Jesse relaxed back in the chair again, looking at his watch. “We have about, oh, twenty minutes before anything and I am sittin’ outside by my little lonesome figurin’ we can use this time to talk about us.”

Hanzo shook his head, pulling up bank records instead, “This is not appropriate.”

“When have I ever been appropriate?” He said. Jesse shifted on the monitor, leaning against the table. He was miles away from the shady motel room Hanzo sat in. “Honey Bee, I made my intentions very clear to you.”

“Agent McCree, stay focused.”

“Darlin, I have been mighty good lately. I listened when you made it clear you want to keep us quiet. I get you are a very private man, but it is killin’ me to not kiss you and hold your hand and just be grossly affectionate with you in front of the others.”

Hanzo sighed. This was not the first time Jesse insisted on this particular conversation. In fact, it was near daily that they talked about this now. More accurately, Jesse talked. Hanzo turned him down. He stayed silent.

“All right,” Jesse said, breaking the silence a second time, his voice deflated. “I read ya, Honey Doll.”

Hanzo looked at the keyboard. “I am,” He started. “Private.” He closed his eyes. “I have not ever let people in on my personal life and...this is unusual for me.”

Jesse let out a louder sigh, “Target is approaching. I am going on radio silence.” There was a click, and the buzz from the cafe was gone. Jesse would still be able to hear everything Hanzo said to him, but not the other way around. Hanzo watched on the screen as a redheaded woman bounced into the coffee shop and to the counter. She was pretty, but not overtly beautiful, Hanzo mused. He wondered if she would accept the cowboy’s advances. 

Jesse’s roused from his seat and went in, standing behind her in line. In a matter of moments, she was settled with a coffee and her computer sitting out. She moved to take a sip from her drink and made a terrible face.

That was Jesse’s cue. He moved over and began chatting with her about a mixed up order. Soon he was in her booth. Hanzo began to run the program Winston developed. He just had to watch and wait for the program to finish. He could break radio silence when it finished.

Jesse was an insatiable flirt, that was for sure. And natural. His body language on the video showed nothing but ruggedness and interest in the woman in front of him. He had a charm about him that drew people in, made them feel immediately comfortable. It made him feel loved.

He knew the instant he gave the cowboy an inch, he would turn into a babbling mess of a fool. Jesse McCree had no self-control when it came to things he liked, and Hanzo knew his feelings towards him. He would receive nothing but torment from the others. It terrified him.

The computer dinged. The initial diagnosis was finished. Hanzo turned on his comm. It would not take long now to scan for information. He looked back to Jesse and the woman, who was now running her hand up Jesse’s muscular arm slowly. Hanzo humphed and turned back to the program.

87% complete.

He put his hand over his mouth and went back to watching the two people, the woman was laughing at one of his silly southern charms, no doubt. Hanzo rolled his eyes. “You aren’t that funny, McCree. Don’t let this get to your head,” He said into the comm. “97% complete,” He added, to be professional.

Jesse laughed, “Well, sorry ‘bout the mix up there. It’s been nice to meet a kind face here though, bein’ so far away from home and all.”

The woman tittered and made a reply Hanzo could not hear, but it was enough to make Jesse laugh.

Hanzo clenched his fists. “99% complete, Agent McCree. Wrap it up.”

“Shucks, Miss Bonano, if you ever find yourself in Phoenix, gimme a holler!” They both laughed. Hanzo rolled his eyes.

“100%,” He growled. “And...you can tell Genji about us. Quietly.”

The line went quiet. Hanzo looked at the screen and saw Jesse, strolling off the security footage, one hand deep in his pocket, the other playing with the phone in hand.

Hanzo waited with baited breath, unsure if Jesse had heard him. He swallowed and leaned in. The Vishkar executive folded up her laptop and put it away. She seemed to be all smiled. Who wouldn’t be though after flirting with a sexy cowboy over coffee during the business hours? It would surely be a great story to return to work with.

He jumped when the phone on the table buzzed. Hanzo scrambled and answered it. “Jesse?”

“So, did you know she used to be an art historian? Yeah, Vishkar hired her to rebuild the city because apparently, she knows what it is supposed to look like. Wild,” Jesse’s voice was teasing over the phone. “I told her I was here for work, but my boyfriend, who can be a total snob, would totally love this city.”

Hanzo smiled, “Your boyfriend loves sinking cities?”

“Totally,” There was a smile in Jesse’s voice. “She gave me this detailed list of festivals and events. Plus the boring stuff too, like concerts and museums. You know, your stuff.”

“So you decided to not listen to your commands and instead decided to wing it? Your supervisor is going to be so pissed,” He smiled and logged everything on the computer and transferred it to a thumb drive before packing it away.

“Aw hell naw, Baby Doll. I still was flirtin’ somethin’ fierce. She was teasin’ back with me too. Gotta say though, I think I rather like sayin’ pretty things to you.”

Hanzo rolled his eyes, “Get back here. We will be flying back within the hour.”

“We ain’t keepin’ the room for the night? I figured we could do some damage before going back. Or is it that you want me to talk to Genji now?”

“Are you sure your boyfriend won’t mind that you are talking to another man?”

“Naw, I figured the brother of my boyfriend is safe. ‘Sides, I am a traditional man. It’ll only be appropriate if I asked for permission.”

Hanzo shouldered his bag and headed out of the motel. “You are doing no such thing, Jesse McCree. That sounds a stupid tradition. You are not asking my brother for any part of me. Ever.”

Jesse let out a roaring laugh. “Hell, Darlin, you were the one who just told me I could tell him you were my little sakura blossom. Can’t blame a man for flying on cloud nine.”

“Do not ever refer to me that way again. I am hanging up on you,” Hanzo felt himself smiling as he turned the corner and pocketed his phone. The airport was small, but only two blocks from his location. Jesse would need to take a cab back here, but Hanzo could walk the distance.

He knew he just opened the floodgates and there would literally be nothing that stopped Jesse now. He gave up control. And for once in his life, he was okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! So my original plan was to just have the 10 chapters. Then Chapter 10 became outrageously long. So enjoy the fact that I have split the chapters apart!


	11. I was the One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then one day  
> I had my love as perfect as could be.  
> She lived, she loved, she laughed, she cried,  
> And it was all for me.

Hanzo’s back hit the wall, his arms wrapped tightly around the cowboy, as he was pinned. Jesse’s mouth was hot. His kiss nothing but teeth and tongue as he consumed the archer. His tongue probing deeply into the other’s mouth, only breaking when he felt his lungs would collapse from the lack of air.

Hanzo gasped deeply, throwing his head back to rest on the cool, white wall as Jesse moved his ministrations down the thick column of his neck. A deep, throaty groan escaped him. “Cowboy,” He reached up, wishing to get fistfuls of the dark hair and found the damned hat. If given the chance, Jesse would continue to wear it the remainder of the night. Hanzo felt his cock twitch at the thought of Jesse riding him hard, the belt, hat, and boots remaining on. He growled and tugged his hair.

Strong hands gripped Hanzo’s ass. He gave little resistance as he was lifted up and wrapped his legs tightly around Jesse’s thick middle, moaning again at the sheer strength of the other. There was something very carnal about this. “Jesse!” He gasped as teeth made contact with his skin. He grabbed the back of his neck and pulled the other in closer, demanding more.

“Darlin, you keep that up, I ain’t gonna make it to the bed,” Jesse’s hand kneaded the muscular flesh under his hands, wanting to do away with the fabric separating their bodies immediately. “I might just need to flip you here and fuck you into a puddle in the hall.” He thrust his hips up, letting Hanzo know exactly how hard he was.

Hanzo’s head fell back against the wall and he moaned. He knew that was a threat the other would gladly follow through on, and at this point, he was not sure he was able to object the idea. “We...we will be caught,” One hand moved into his hair and pulled hard, dragging a strong moan out of Jesse in the process. “I want...I want a bed,” his mouth closed over his right earlobe and he nibbled. “I want you to make me scream so loud, the whole base knows what we are up to.”

“Honey, I have been trying to get you to scream for weeks,” Jesse kept his firm grip on Hanzo, as he leaned into the teeth around his ear. “I am gonna make sure you are hoarse tomorrow morning.” 

Hanzo’s thighs tightened and kept a firm grip on him as he moved his lips down his neck, suckling and biting at every inch. He used his back to push away from the wall, “Walk, Cowman,” He bucked his hips, moaning as he gained pleasure from the delicious friction. “Go!” He demanded.

Jesse laughed. It took all his concentration to head down the hallway another ten feet to his door. Hanzo was grinding against him in the most lewd way, almost as if the little shit was trying to make him come in his pants. He felt sweat already dripping down his spine. “Shit,” He cursed and leaned against the wall near the door and pushed at Hanzo’s hips. “Baby, off.” He growled.

Hanzo was quick to drop to the floor, his hands moving to Jesse’s side as he bent over, looking at the skin. “What’s wrong? Too much?” His eyes were wide as he looked up at the other, concern evident.

Jesse laughed and took his hands, pulling him back upright. “Naw, Baby. I ‘preciate the concern, I just can’t reach my keys when you are like that.” He smiled as his hand went into his front pocket and pulled them out a small keyring. He jingled them lightly, teasing the other. “I can totally fuck you against the wall right here if you like, boyfriend.”

Hanzo grabbed the keys and jammed them into the lock and threw the door open before he grabbed Jesse by the collar of his shirt and nearly throwing him into the room. “Undress. Now.” Hanzo stalked forward, looking insanely predatory, and absolutely magnificent.

Jesse let out a laugh and kissed Hanzo chastely, “Patience, Honey Bee.” He stepped towards the door when the other was fully in and shut it. Hanzo looked just about ready to jump out of his skin, and it was a beautiful sight. Jesse momentarily wondered how long he could tease the other before Hanzo broke and threw him onto the bed and fucked him. Methodically, he turned the lock on the door and set the keys on the dresser in the small clay cup. He then moved to set his hat on the table by the bed before walking back over to the door to remove his books. 

It was apparently Hanzo did not have the tolerance tonight. Jesse was able to toe off his boots when Hanzo came up behind him, pressing his body into the other. His hard cock drove into his ass sharply. His lips moved to the back of Jesse’s neck and nipped at where his spine and shoulders met. “I said now,” Hanzo growled, his voice sultry as he pulled at Jesse’s shirt. He untucked it and pulled it up, over his head in a fluid motion and threw it into some unknown corner. 

Jesse groaned and leaned back into the other man, relishing in the fact that his neck would be bruised the next morning. He pressed his bare back against Hanzo’s chest and moaned, realizing that while he was languorously teasing, the other had stripped fully and was in the process of dry humping his denim covered ass. Jesse groaned. What a sight they must make, Hanzo frantically thrusting against him, gaining all his pleasure and letting Jesse experience none of it. He felt a wet spot developing on the front of his pants. He wondered quickly if he could come by this alone.

Quick hands moved to the front of his jeans. In an instant, he felt the leather being pulled away from his pants and the loud, metallic clang of the belt buckle hitting the floor. Next went the button and zipper. Jesse felt himself stand proud when Hanzo let out a searing groan as his hands reached in and grabbed Jesse’s cock. 

“There it is,” He purred. He flicked his wrist caressing him from base to tip. Jesse’s hands moved back, gripping Hanzo’s hips for support as thrust into the warm hand. Hanzo’s fingers deftly pulled back the foreskin and traced along the slit of his cock, causing a wide shutter to fly through his body. There was something so alluring about how exposed he felt in this instant. 

“Sweet merciful Jesus,” Jesse swore and thrust up into the waiting hand. “Baby, I should be doing this to you,” Sweat pooled at the base of his spine, where his jeans met flesh and he wanted nothing more than to come right then. He let out a merciful yelped as teeth bit into his shoulder hard enough to bruise, but not enough to break skin before the heat of the body behind him was gone and he felt suddenly cold. 

“On the bed,” Hanzo ordered. “Sit. I am going to ride you.”

Jesse swallowed and did as he was told. He had partners in the past that ordered him around, and that was usually the final straw before he left. Jesse had never been a man to take orders well. But with Hanzo, there was something inexplicably sexy about being ordered what to do. The other had command over his body and Jesse willingly complied every time. There was something in the way Hanzo was in this state, still perfectly in control, but there was the idea that at any minute, the man would come completely undone with his own pleasure. Jesse wanted to push him over that edge.

He finished stripping down, depositing his jeans with the rest of their clothes. He barely had a chance to sit before his lap was soon filled with Hanzo. Breathy kisses and wicked hands all over his front. Knees on either side of Jesse’s thighs. He ground his hips down, untamed and starved. There was a wolf like a smile on the archer’s lips as he looked down at him from his perch, his cheeks flushed red and pupils blown wide.

“Whoa,” Jesse’s large hands grasped his waist, holding him down, which only caused Hanzo to roll his own hips more slowly. “We have time. What’s the big hurry?”

Hanzo’s lips moved to his neck, nipping. “I just,” He panted, resting his forehead in the crook of his neck and steadied himself. There was a slight tremble to his body “I want it hard.” Unforgiving. Give it to me.” 

Jesse groaned and let his eyes flutter closed. “It’s a little hard to do that when you are dominatin’ me.” He was not complaining though. His hands roamed up Hanzo’s back, feeling a shudder run through his body as an audible gasp came forward.

Hanzo’s lips moved up and closed over his ear, sucking hard. “Then take charge, McCree” He whispered, his voice breathy. He rolled his hips again. He pulled back and cupped Jesse’s face in his hands and pulled him into another deep kiss. His fingers fluttered against his cheeks, stroking the untamed beard and causing Jesse to moan into the kiss, deepening it further.

Jesse groaned and groped around on the table next to him, feeling for the bottle of lube. Hanzo would not be lasting long. He would come, with or without Jesse’s assistance. There was a yearning to Hanzo’s touches that he had been absent in all their previous encounters, his hands fumbling as they moved over Jesse’s shoulders. Jesse smiled and pulled him in closer, melding their bodies together.

Slowly, his hands moved down, cupping his ass and let his finger moved against his opening, teasing. “I don’t think I wanna just dominate you,” His lips moved across the other’s jaw slowly. “Hanzo, I wanna make you feel all kinds of good.”

Hanzo’s body trembled as he felt the cool liquid against his skin followed by Jesse’s strong fingers, massaging it into his flesh and around his hole. Slowly, a single, calloused digit pushed past the tight ring of muscle and twisted in him, causing a low rumble to come from Hanzo, “Just fuck me already.”

“Can’t do that, Honey Bee. It’ll be a mess of trouble if I just take you raw,” Jesse rolled his hips in tempo with his finger, taking his time to enjoy the searing heat from the other’s body. Hanzo moaned, pulling Jesse deeper into his arms. His hands buried themselves deep into the thick brown hair.

Jesse’s lips moved down Hanzo’s neck and across his collarbone, licking and nipping at the flesh, working his way down to one of the erect nipples, taking it into his mouth and rolling his tongue.

Hanzo moaned louder, unabashed in his lust. He tugged at the hair in his hand and moved back harder on the finger. “More!” He demanded. Hanzo arched His back further, pulling the other into him more fully, melting themselves together.

Jesse was more than willing to comply, adding a second finger into his body, slowly working and opening him. His tongue flicked across the nipple one final time before moving to the other and giving it a similar treatment. Hanzo’s cock lay trapped between them. He felt it twitch as he wound his fingers deeper into the other, rubbing teasingly against the knot of nerves inside the other, enough to tease, but not nearly enough to grant him any satisfaction. Hanzo ground his hips against him hard, leaving a wet trail in its wake.

Jesse’s cock was ready to burst from just this. He added a third finger, causing a hiss of “More” to escape from Hanzo’s lips. 

“Give it time, Darlin’,” Jesse looked up at him, a nipple between his teeth. “I promise I will take you to the moon and back.”

Sweat glistened on the other’s forehead. “Take me now,” he panted, hands smoothing the hair on Jesse’s head as he leaned in for a kiss. “I need you now.”

Jesse's fingers worked in slowly, feeling Hanzo opening up to him. His body relaxed in his arms, moving faster on the digits inside him. Jesse was enthralled by the way the other moved, how he rolled his hips, drawing the fingers in deeper. It took all his willpower to wait until he felt his fingers slide easily in and out of him before he finally reclined back onto the bed. Slowly, he removed his fingers from the other’s body and moved to rest his hands on his hips. “Slick me up. You said you wanted to ride me,” He said with a smirk and a light smack to his rear. “I must say, I rather like the idea of a show.”

Hanzo’s cheeks were flushed. His breath notched as he sat on Jesse’s hips, waiting to regain composure before he moved off him, going to the side table. He opened the drawer and rummaged for a condom. “Must you be so crass?” his voice faltered. 

“Oh really?” Jesse smiled as he sat up on his elbows, “You want crass? I’ll give you crass,” In a sinuous motion, his hand came down with a hard ‘crack’ on Hanzo’s ass, causing the other to yelp and sit up, ramrod straight. 

Jesse was smirking sinfully as the next second, Hanzo had him pinned to the bed, a snarl on those pretty, swollen lips, “What the hell are you-”

“Get on my dick and ride me like a bucking bronco. I wanna watch your body twist and coil on my massive pecker while I split you open and leave you a mewling wreck. I wanna bottom out in your hole and come deep inside you. Tomorrow, every time you move or take a step, your body is gonna tell you exactly who you belong to.”

Hanzo’s eyes went wide as he looked down at the man beneath him/ With every image Jesse put into his mind, a deeper blush crept across his face and into his ears. His hands gripped tighter on Jesse’s chest and pulled at the thick hair. Slowly, Hanzo sat back again, his throat bobbed as he swallowed. Silently, Hanzo made quick work of the foil wrapper around the condom and rolled it onto Jesse. “Okay,” He said hoarsely.

Jesse moved back up on his elbows, a lopsided grin on his face. “Wait, seriously? That was a joke. I was joking there, Han. I was serious-” He was cut off as Hanzo leaned down, his mouth covering Jesse’s as he pressing a hard kiss onto him. His hand moved back, gripping the base of Jesse’s cock and rocked his hips back, sliding Jesse between his ass cheeks, pulling a throaty moan from the gunslinger.

Hanzo braced his hand on Jesse’s stomach as he hitched his legs up and slowly pressed his cock to the tight ring of muscle. His body relented. Jesse gripped his hips and lifted his knees up, helping to lower him down onto his cock.

Jesse moaned. The searing heat was glorious as Hanzo took him down, inch by inch. It took all his power to not thrust up and claim the rest of his body in one motion. Instead, his thumb slowly stroked Hanzo’s flank and urged him on with sweet nothings and light touches. “Hanzo, Darlin’, you look incredible,” He breathed, watching Hanzo's cock twitch under his gaze, a long pearl of precome dripping down the shaft and pooling at the metal barbels that sat halfway down his length. 

Jesse’s hand came to grip the base of Hanzo’s shaft, slowly stroking upwards, letting the pad of his thumb massage the underside of his shaft, rolling the barbells and causing a choked sob to escape from Hanzo’s throat. The other was coming undone in his sights. 

Hanzo began to rock his hips, his hands moving back to brace on Jesse’s knees. He bit his lower lip and his brow furled as he lifted his hips up. “Jesse,” He breathed as he dropped back down, taking him all the way to the hilt and caused a loud moan from the both of them.

Hanzo moaned as Jesse thrust upwards and the two found a steady rhythm. “J….Jesse,” He smiled and looked down at the man. His hair was wild, spread out under him, a dusty flush over his cheeks. His gaze was fixated on Hanzo’s chest, watching as his tattoo bobbed up and down to the tempo of their hips. Jesse smiled, tearing his gaze away to lock eyes with him. “I always figured with all these piercings, you would get these done too.” A hand moved up to play with Hanzo’s left nipple, pinching and rolling it between his hand. “You would sure look pretty with something here.”

Hanzo chuckled and pushed out his chest as he leaned into the waiting hands. “You realize how terrible that idea is, right? I shoot my bow with my shirt open so the fabric won’t get caught. Could you imagine what would happen if I had a ring there?”

Jesse winced. “Oh, Darlin’, I like your nipples right where there are!” He laughed and bucked upward harder. He gripped his hips in both hands and rocked forward. Hanzo’s cock bouncing against his stomach with each thrust.

Hanzo moaned and dropped down, nuzzling at Jesse’s beard. He groaned and kissed his chin. “I want to come,” He moaned into his ear. Jesse let out his own moan of disapproval as suddenly, his cock was free from that heat. Hanzo moved onto all fours next him, legs spread wide as he knelt on his elbows, “Fuck me harder, cowman.”

Jesse was behind him in an instant, plunging deep inside Hanzo’s body. Hanzo gasped and his arms gave out under him, so his face was buried deep in the pillows as he let out a sinful moan.

His metal arm reached around, cupping Hanzo’s leaking dick as he began to thrust with all his power. Hanzo met him, buck for buck. His hands scratching and clawing at the bed sheets around him, letting out sobs of pleasure.

It was too much, seeing Hanzo come undone under him, but not fully hearing that glorious voice. His hand moved to Hanzo’s hair, carding its way through the raven locks before pulling back, forcing the man to arch his back a sultry moan. He was gorgeous. Completely unabashed in his pleasure as he rocked his hips back, his muscles clamping down around Jesse’s cock. Jesse pressed his chest to the other’s back and forced a hard kiss onto those swollen lips. His eyes searched wildly for Jesse’s and he could see how blown the pupils were. The normally dark brown eyes were a full black, his whole body lost in the pleasure that Jesse provided for him.

Jesse felt him come undone. Hanzo’s orgasm rippled through him, he watched as deft fingers clung to the sheets, twisting them hard as his shoulders dropped down, unable to carry his own weight anymore. Jesse reached between Hanzo’s legs and gripped his cock as he began to pump him. Jesse felt his own orgasm creeping in, his balls tightening as Hanzo’s muscles began to tremble and tighten around him. He bucked forward as a raw moan echoed out through the room, though Jesse could not whose voice it was. There was just the sound of their elated moans and skin, slapping against skin as Jesse tumbled over the edge, exploding deep into the other.

He stood there, his hands on Hanzo’s hips, waiting for the world to come back around him before pulling out of him and rolling them away from the soiled sheets. Panting, he held Hanzo in his arms, molding the other body back to his own, wanting to still be joined together in some way.

Hanzo grunted and looked down at himself, finding streaks of himself drying against the smooth skin. “Jesse,” He moaned and looked up at the cowboy.

He reluctantly rolled over Hanzo and moved to the bathroom, coming back with a warm, damp rag and cleaned the other up. Hanzo noticed, as well, that he had in the process, discarded the used condom, thankfully. 

Jesse made quick work of cleaning them both up and then flicked the light off. Darkness overtook the small room as Jesse moved back against Hanzo, throwing an arm and leg over him, pinning him to the mattress. “Honey,” Jesse mumbled, leaving light kisses along his hairline. “I really like bein’ yer sweetheart.” His southern drawl became more pronounced as he spoke, half asleep already. “Wouldn’t mind keepin’ ya here with me always.” Jesse reached across and laced his fingers with Hanzo’s, holding the other tightly against his body.

Hanzo’s eyes flew open, all sense of tiredness leaving his body. “What?” He asked.

“Ya know, tellin’ e’erbody an’ lettin’ them know what we do,” Jesse’s lips traveled down, against his collarbone. “I wanna jus’ be yer man an’ you can be mine an',” Slowly, his words faded away into gentle snores, his fingers loosening their grip.

Hanzo swallowed and suddenly felt the room was far too small. Far too compressed and the heat against him far too real. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in and released it slowly. 

In….

And released it slowly...

__________

His feet hit the floor hard. He bolted to the bathroom, dropped to his knees and heaved. His mind was still a wash of images left in the wake of sleep. Red blood. A green scarf. Cold steel. Another wave of nausea hit Hanzo and he clung to the porcelain bowl, emptying his stomach. His eyes closed and he rested against the cool tiles, trying to get his body back in order. Trying to get control over the shaking in his limbs.

He took in a deep, scattered breath and pressed the palm of his hand into his forehead hard, trying to fight the second wave of nausea that hit him. Slowly, the feeling passed. His stomach receded and he moved his palm to press against his heavy eyes, wanting to make sure they would not pop right out of his head. 

He felt something tap his shoulder and he sat up, realizing the lights of the bathroom had been turned on. Jesse silently sat on the rim of the tub next to him, a paper cup in his hand. Hanzo took it and swished the water in his mouth before spitting into the bowl and flushing.

“Ya good?” Jesse asked, his voice quiet. 

Hanzo shook his head. His knees were shaking still. His calves ached. He felt his stomach lurch again, but nothing came this time. He heard Jesse shift, moving to the floor and felt the strong arms move around him and pull him away. He curled into the space between his arms.

“Nightmares?”

He nodded. Jesse’s cool metal hand held the back of his neck and Hanzo let out a sigh of relief against it. His vision failed him, everything around him a wash of colors in the blur.

“They’re a bitch,” Jesse spoke again, softly. A hand rested on his side, firm. Real. His thumb drew lazy circles into his flesh. Hanzo nodded again.

“You know when I was home; Santa Fe, I mean. I would spend days outside. I slept in a tent and had a sleeping bag. The whole time I convinced myself I did it cause I loved nature. Which is true. There is nothing like the desert at night, seeing those stars shine and nothing else in the world. No civilization. Nothing. Just the stars.”

Hanzo relaxed a little as Jesse described the campsite he made for himself. How he would pack everything onto the back of his bike and take off, not letting anyone know where he went and what he did. Hanzo shifted himself, burying his head deeper into Jesse’s shoulder, against his neck. He could feel Jesse’s stubble against his temple and it soothed him.

“Gran always worried where I got off to, but Lita seemed to know. Always told her not to worry.”

“Whose Lita?” Hanzo asked, breaking the story.

“Abuelita Rosa. My Mother’s Ma,” the circles his hand drew grew larger. “Gran was my Dad’s Ma.”

Hanzo hummed. He pictured Jesse as a small child be doted on by two wizened grandmothers. Pictured him small with parents and siblings and at family reunions. His mind wandered to the photograph pinned on the wall of the boy with the cake. The image was soon shattered.

“Daddy died ‘fore I was born. Accident. Took Grandpa with him,” Jesse smiled. “Ma ran off with a man she met in the casino. Took her to Hollywood. She left me to be raised by her parents.”

Hanzo’s arm moved around Jesse’s middle. He never heard Jesse talk about his past before. Deadlock was as far back as he would communicate to anyone, but only in pieces. Never was anything this intimate. He nuzzled, hoping to hear more.

“How ya’ll doin’?” He felt Jesse shift to look down at him.

Hanzo nodded. “Better,” He admitted. Jesse’s hand shifted from his side and up to his face, brushing his cheeks tenderly. Hanzo was surprised with the wetness that went away. Had he been crying? “Please, continue.” It was a quiet plea. 

Jesse smiled. “I get it.” He mumbled. “The silence. It is deafening to me. Causes all sorts of voices to pop up in my brain that I ain’t fit to hear.”

Hanzo swallowed. “Noise.” He said, voice shaking. “Loud sudden ones don’t,” He realized his and was gripping to Jesse’s shoulder, knuckles nearly white. He moved his hand away, finding that he was still shaking. “Quiet ones. Just...noise for noise's sake. Talking. Babble. It just...frustrates.”

Jesse nuzzled, shifting Hanzo into his lap better, “I have to sleep with the radio on. Or a movie.” Hanzo nodded. “Talking with a purpose is what I look for. I can follow the conversation on the movies, it is planned and expected, ya know?” Hanzo nodded again. It was safe.

Jesse sat there, rocking the other man. 

“I am such a fool,” Hanzo breathed out.

“Naw, darlin’,” Jesse stated. “It ain’t nothin’. We all have our demons.” He smiled a little. “Why, when I first came here, I was hell on wheels.”

Hanzo snorted. “You don’t have wheels.”

Jesse looked down at the man again, “It’s an expression, I thank you. Now, I gave everyone a run. I wanted to be the biggest, baddest thing here. An’ I hate sharing everything. Still, do. If it’s mine, hell, you better not touch it.”

He leaned his head back against the wall. “Especially food. Man, I was this scrawny twig of a thing and I grew up on grilled cheese and peanut butter.” He felt the arms around him tighten. 

“Not a twig.” Hanzo mused. “I don’t believe it.”

Jesse smiled wider. “I really was! Wouldn’t let me play football or wrestle in school They were too afraid I would break like glass. I was scrappy though. Always made my way in a fight. Girls thought I was cute though.”

“That’s too bad,” Hanzo smiled. “The girls liking you.”

“Hey now, I did just fine with the ladies. Why one time I went out with Sarah Anderson. She liked me just fine.” He felt Hanzo’s body relax further into his, his shoulders slouched, becoming less rigid. “Of course, I didn’t do half bad with her brother either.”

Hanzo let out a chuckle, Jesse continued on. “See, what happened was I liked mudding. That’s where you get in a truck and you drive in a muddy field and kick up dirt and debris everywhere. It’s more fun than it sounds,” he added as he felt Hanzo shift. “Really, it is. So I think to myself, I love driving around and having the truck slide and spin out. So I think it is the perfect opportunity to get to know Sarah better. She was flirtin’ something terrible with me, so I invited her out. Her daddy didn’t like me much, said I came from the wrong side of town and all that. I think that was why she liked me.”

“So you took her out?” Hanzo stated, his voice clearly stating to get on with it.

“Yeah, I took her out mudding. It was great fun for me. Problem was, Santa Fe doesn’t have very much mud. So we had to drive some three hundred miles north, into Colorado. She didn’t like me much afterward, but she did kiss me lots. The cops didn’t like me much either. Said I kidnapped her. Got arrested and my Lita had to bail me out.” Jesse laughed, remembering the sour look on the old woman’s face when she came to get him. Hanzo shook in his arms. He looked down to find the other biting his hand to keep from laughing.

“It was worse when I was sixteen. Did the same thing, but that time it was her brother. Got kisses from him as well. Plus a black eye when the cops caught us. He said it was all for fun, but the police didn’t much like me taking the same family members across state lines.”

Hanzo laughed. He genuinely laughed a deep throaty rumbling into his hand. “Are you serious?” He finally managed, a huge smile on his face. “Sixteen and arrested twice? For making out with siblings?”

“Aw hell, baby! I ain’t arrested twice! I was constantly in trouble with the law. I just happened to get arrested with for kidnapping twice,” He rubbed Hanzo’s back as the laughter died away. “Yeah, after that I dropped outta school and joined Deadlock.”

Hanzo hummed again in response, placing his head back against Jesse’s neck, he could still feel the smile though. Hanzo closed his eyes and tried to picture a thin, wiry kid with the same dark skin and shaggy hair behind the wheel of an antique truck, cowboy hat planted firmly on his head and way oversized, drooping over his ears. In his mind, young Jesse McCree was still the spitting image of the man with him now.

After a few more placid minutes, Jesse shifted his shoulders. His knees were beginning to tingle. He took a chance and inquired, “Darlin?”

Hanzo hummed again.

“Seein’ as how you are feeling a mite bit better, do ya think we could move this back to the bed? I ain’t complaining about it, but right now I can feel my testicles rising up into my body it’s so cold on this tile.”

Hanzo chuckled and moved out of his lap. His whole body felt weighted. He didn’t trust himself to stand yet either. “I wouldn’t want that,” Jesse used the wall as leverage and rose to his full hight, then he reached down taking Hanzo hand and helped him to his feet. He put an arm around the other’s middle and slowly shuffled his way back to the bed. He nearly collapsed onto the bed and pulled Jesse’s weight with him, needing to feel physical contact from the other.

Hanzo rested his head on Jesse’s shoulder in the dark. He felt secure with this man. Safe. He listened as Jesse’s breathing evened out. His fingers curled in Jesse’s chest hair and he did not feel the other move. He spoke, barely above a whisper. “I was dreaming of my brother.”

“That night?” Jesse rumbled, his hand moved to Hanzo’s back and slowly drew circles into the flesh. Hanzo matched his breathing to the ministration. “You wanna talk about it? Promise I won’t say nothin’.” 

Hanzo nodded.

Hanzo curled his fingers deeper into Jesse’s chest and began slowly, “Father prided honor and family above every other virtue.” He took a deep, labored breath before he continued, “And I was the heir to the family fortune and business. I was the one to shoulder the responsibility. Genji was supposed to be with me. He was my brother and we were to divide the empire and work to keeping our family legacy.”

Jesse stroked his hair, trying to provide encouragement without saying anything. He had heard from Genji many times about Lord Shimada and his iron will. About Hanzo being a miniature version of the crime boss. Rigid and cold like a mountain. Genji spoke of their father with fondness still. He was old fashioned, but there was a deep caring he had for his sons.

“Father was quite old when he started a family, well into his fifties. Mother was younger but came from a long line of hardened women. I knew from an early age the responsibilities of my position. Genji,” He swallowed. “Genji was free to do as he willed while I had to be….perfect.”

It was silent in the room for a long stretch of time, Hanzo stayed perfectly still. Jesse shifted slightly and looked down at him in the darkness. “Go on,” he encouraged again.

“We knew that he was an informant to Overwatch. He was not good at covering his tracks. He was trained to be a ninja, but he underestimated the clan’s legacy. Father took great pains to bury that information, but his associates, the clan elders, feared my father more, they just needed to wait it out. Father never realized how much his leaders knew about his sons. To him, they were all loyal.

“Once Father became too sick to continue acting at the head of the family, they had nothing more to fear from Genji. Suddenly, they realized that the information being supplied to our enemies was information Genji could not possibly know about. Father kept him away from all business meetings and all talk of what we did stayed behind closed doors, but Genji knew more than he should have. He had to be silenced.”

Hanzo buried himself deep into Jesse’s chest, his arms were shaking slightly again. “It was my fault,” the words came out small. Hanzo had never once denied what he had done to his brother. He never once shied away from the implication of murder. He was brutally honest about the whole affair. Jesse stroked his hair again, unsure how to proceed.

“I did it,” Hanzo swallowed a sob. “I was the reason he knew things. I told him everything that I learned in every meeting. And he soaked the information in. I thought it was because he was my brother. He and I supposed to be together in this. I thought it was my right to persuade him to join. I didn’t know he was using that information against us. I just wanted him to behave and understand. I wanted to share the legacy. I am the reason they killed Genji”

The weight of the words crashed down. Hanzo was not just the instrument of destruction. Hanzo’s shoulders shook harder. Jesse braced himself. He was sure Hanzo would fight back soon. Attack and defend himself, push Jesse away and keep him at arm’s length. He waited for the moment Hanzo put up his cold exterior and locked Jesse out. The moment never came.

“I knew when the elders called for assassins I had to do something. They wanted him to suffer. So many of their secrets were known to the world at that point. Overwatch was already ruining us, taking away the money and the power. Father’s legacy was in tatters, everyone could see that. Our whole family legacy was undone in a matter of months. I couldn’t let that happen. So I,” His words trailed away as he clung to the other man for support. 

Jesse nodded. He knew the rest. “Shh, Darlin’.” He stroked his hair and kissed his forehead. He would not push Hanzo farther. 

“I wanted to be merciful. Make it quick and over. Restore honor to our family and business,” He shook his head. “I was not expecting him to turn. To fight back.” Hanzo’s hands clenched and unclenched as if his body was unsure what to do with himself. Jesse held him. “I woke up in the hospital days later. In agony. I don’t remember what happened after I brought the blade down on him. I remember red and green and pain. Genji must have fought back.”

Jesse was silent, taking it all in. He had many times heard Genji’s version of events. Being ambushed by his own brother, who had come up behind him and attacked. How Genji had to fight for his life, pleading for mercy and help to an empty room and a cold eyes brother. How Genji, once slain, laid on the ground and made a wild stab at his brother, catching him along the calves and how he could still hear his elder brother’s cries of anger. Jesse held Hanzo close, stroking his hair and just letting the other just lay there in the silence.

“My mother disowned me,” His voice was so small. “She came to the hospital and called me a monster. She said I deserved all the pain in the world, then left. I lost everything. The clan elders, they turned on me. They reasoned that they could not trust a man who would cut down his own brother. I was their puppet. I did their dirty work so they would walk away with clean hands. In the course of a month, my mother lost her whole family. I killed her son and she would not look at me again.”

Jesse let out a sigh and attempted to pull him closer, finding though, that Hanzo was already curled tightly at his side. He just wanted him…safe. Jesse could hear his own heart beating hard in his chest. The room fell into complete silence.

Hanzo shifted. “Can you,” His voice wavered. “Say something.”

Jesse swallowed, unsure what to do. Normally, he would crack a joke, try to relieve the tension of the room. It felt inappropriate to say a joke or a story or...anything. “What do you want me to say?”

Hanzo’s shoulders tightened under his arm and he felt the other shift away. He pulled him back, holding the man against him. “I don’t know.”

 

Jesse lay there in silence. He was not sure what to say. “We don’t ever really talk ‘bout this,” He managed. “I mean, we haven’t talked much about this topic,” He sighed and held the other near, struggling to find words. He faltered, instead choosing to just hold him close. “What I mean is-”

“I know,” Hanzo’s eyes felt heavy, he let out a long breath and wrapped his arms around Jesse, almost nervous like, as if he were afraid the other would run at the slightest touch.

Jesse looked to the ceiling. “I ain’t a man of words.” 

Hanzo let out a snort, “Jesse, all you do is talk.”

“No, what I mean is, I am more comfortable with physical stuff.”

“I am not in the mood to have sex,” Hanzo breathed.

“I wasn’t thinkin’ that,” He rubbed his back slowly, feeling more relaxed as he heard Hanzo joke. “I could, you know,” He shrugged a little, trying to find the best way to phrase it. “Just hold you. The way you like. No questions asked or complain from me.”

Hanzo’s fingers curled around his back and was silent. Jesse silently cursed himself for saying something completely stupid. He sighed, “Nevermind I-”

“I like it when you are on top of me,” Hanzo said quickly. “I like your weight. It presses me into the mattress and I feel….grounded.”

Without another word, Jesse adjusted them, laying Hanzo flat on the bed and sprawled across Hanzo and tucking his head under the other’s chin. Jesse smiled as he placed his hand on the others. “I actually prefer it this way most of the time,” He said. “I hate feeling trapped.”

Hanzo’s hands moved into Jesse’s hair, carding through the thick, tawny hair. “Why didn’t you tell me that? I would have moved off.”

“Mostly cause I liked you there,” He smiled. “I liked having you in my bed and in my arms and all around me.” He nuzzled him a little, tickling the other with his beard. “I really just wanted you to be mine. You’re different. Safe.” 

Hanzo’s arms moved around Jesse’s shoulders. “Genji won’t like this,” He said quietly. “He won’t approve.”

Jesse blinked, nuzzling his chin. “You are worried Genji is not going to approve of me dating his brother?”

Hanzo shook his head. “Genji adores you. He,” Hanzo swallowed. “I have heard him talk to Hana. He calls you his brother.”

“Genji is a punk ass bitch if he don’t like who I choose to see,” Jesse mumbled. “Cause right now, I only care about the feelings of one Shimada and it ain’t no cyborg ninja.” He left a light kiss against Hanzo’s collar. “I like my cold, aloof ronin much more. He’s cuter, for one.”

Hanzo chuckled and allowed himself to relax. He knew that sleep would evade him the rest of the night, but right now, having Jesse with him, was enough.

_______

Jesse sat forward in the metal chair, hands cupped around the steaming hot cup of coffee, watching the steam swirl above the murky liquid. The cafeteria was mostly empty by now, most of the crew coming in earlier to grab a quick bite before heading to their designations for the day. Some, like him, lingered. Angela sat in a booth, her knees drawn up and sitting on the bench as she read over a medical report of some kind, spectacles riding low on her nose as she chewed a pen. Jesse thought about joining her and getting some advice, but she seemed to be lost in thought.

Mei sat in another booth, a tablet spread out in front of her. In the past few weeks, her brain had thawed from the cryofreeze. She was now able to function much like a normal person would, but she still spent hours each morning retraining her brain to focus on normal activities. At least that is claimed. Jesse has a sneaking suspicion that it was just a ruse used to allow her to take hour long breaks and play sudoku.

Jesse rubbed hard against his eyes with the palm of his hand, enjoying the friction against his eyeballs. He didn’t sleep. How could he? It was troubling to see how deeply affected Hanzo was from his past. Hell, Jesse still woke up some nights in a cold sweat thinking about the terrible deeds he had committed, but with Hanzo…

It was different being an observer. He experienced the panic himself, how sometimes the anxiety would turn your stomach into knots and you were not sure which way it was coming, but suddenly everything rushed out of you in one terrible moment. The feeling of completely helpless.

It was worse when you just had to watch and muddle your way through it. In all his years, he had never just watched as someone broke down. It was the most helpless feeling like he wanted to scoop him up into his arms and make the pain stop. But it wasn’t that easy. He tried his damndest, only to realize that he could not fix any of it.

Hanzo had been silent the rest of the night. By morning, Jesse felt the bed shift and then Hanzo was gone. He did not dare to stir himself. After last night, he was not sure of any of his actions. So Hanzo left without a word. Jesse just had the hope it was a normal morning, that Hanzo would go to train and then come back.

Hanzo did not come back. Jesse lounged in bed an extra half hour, pulling the pillows close to himself and watched the door. Every movement outside, he would shut his eyes and pretend to sleep again with the dim hope of finding his archer back in his bed. Again, that didn’t happen. At a quarter past ten, Jesse reluctantly rose. He showered, shaved and dressed before heading out to get breakfast, hoping to meet him for breakfast. There was still to no sign of Hanzo.

Jesse pushed the coffee away. Even if he were able to find his archer, would he even be willing to talk to him? Last night was a total loss of control. Hanzo had allowed himself to be vulnerable around Jesse, hell, even admitting that he cared about Jesse felt like a monumental step. And yet, Hanzo still guarded himself. He did not let people see him weak. Jesse saw the man at his weakest last night and it terrified him. Jesse watched him self-destruct last night. At this point, he wondered if Hanzo would even stay at the watchpoint. 

God, he hoped he wouldn’t leave.

The doors swung opened and Jesse looked up, hopeful to find the familiar, confident stride. He wanted Hanzo to just show up, to sit with him and talk like nothing different happened last night. As if everything was the same, even if it wasn’t.

Instead, Genji strode in, his fingers flying over the screen of his tablet as he texted someone.He had his visor tucked under his arm and a beanie on his head, a smile played on his lips. Jesse grumbled and tipped back his cup, savoring the bitter liquid. Why should Genji look so calm today? 

Genji slipped the phone back into his pocket as he moved to the front of the mess line and picked up a box of cereal and a cup. His phone dinged loudly and Genji fished it back out to look.

Jesse pulled out his phone and looked down, hopeful to have something. There were no messages. He sighed and sent off another quick message to Hanzo before pushing back from the table. He had sent him small messages, just updating him on where he was. Totally not at all worried or freaking out. Totally normal things. 

“Genji,” Jesse motioned to the chair across from him and kicked it out, giving the ninja an invitation. His head felt fit to burst with all the secrets rummaging around up in there. Genji was usually the one he confided in. His partner when they were running black-ops together. 

Fuck it. He cared too much about Hanzo. At this point, them sneaking around the base, covertly hiding their flirting and kissing was too much. Jesse was not a creature of the darkness, he needed everything to be out there, in the light. Hanzo hid in the darkness to protect himself, but Genji would understand, right? Genji had to understand.

The ninja slid into the chair across from Jesse smoothly and he propped his feet up on one of the empty chairs. “Hey, long time no talk, McCree.” He put his arms behind his head and gave a cocky smile. “Where have you been? What have you been up to?”

Jesse shrugged, “You know, the usual. Boss is running my ass to get things done and you know, the hospital.” He smiled a little and looked Genji over. 

Genji laughed and grabbed a cup and poured himself some coffee, “Boss? You talking about Winston, cause seriously, this is the laxest organization I have ever been a part of. Unless you mean the ghost of Reyes, cause damn, that would be a scary sight.” He reached over and put in an absurd amount of creamer and sugar into the coffee, turning the liquid nearly white. “Really, man, what have you been up to? I never see you anymore around here. It’s like you’re the ghost.”

“Really?” Jesse looked down. “I hadn’t noticed,” He thought back over the last few weeks. “I guess I was laid up for quite a while, and just a bit antisocial.”

Genji shrugged, “You missed some great fun last night. Lena went all Coyote Ugly at the bar. She was up and dancing on the bar with a couple other girls. It was hilarious! You should have come.”

Jesse laughed. “Dude, I am getting way to old to just hang around in bars. Besides, I just got off a mission and was beat.”

“You missed a real hot one,” Genji nudged Jesse with his foot. “Someone just your type. He was cute and giggly. I convinced him to come back tomorrow, so we could set you up.”

Jesse arched a brow and took another long sip of his plain, black coffee. “Why in the sam hill are you tryin’ to set me up with some young thing? Naw, man. I do fine on my own.”

Genji shrugged, “Are you revealing to me that you have an amore? You have a sweetheart? A cuddle bug?”

Jesse snorted, “Get a life, Robo-weiner.” He sat forward. 

“So what do you want to talk about? There is some reason. You don’t just call me over nowadays for polite chit-chat.” Genji sipped his coffee with an obnoxious slurp. “Or is this about my brother?”

Jesse swallowed and looked over at him, trying to read the stoic face for answers. “Yeah, it is.” He finally managed.

“I wanted to thank you for a while about that. He has never...had friends.” Genji stated. “And I’m glad that you were the first person he opened up to here. You don’t judge and you keep a cool head and you never really resented him for all this,” he motioned to his body.

“Well, after working with you for a decade, I totally think he was justified in kabobbing your ass,” Jesse smirked. 

Genji laughed and looked down. “Seriously, though. I don’t think he would have stayed if it wasn’t for you being nice. I knew that he would be a great asset here, especially with rebuilding Overwatch, but I figured it would be harder to get him to join and stay.”

“I gotta say, under that hard, rocky, icy, rigid, exterior, Hanzo really is an organized, perfectionist with a deep sense of superiority to everyone around him and spends most of his time walkin’ and talkin’ like he was a prince,” Jesse smirked. “But he is brilliant, you know? He really knows his shit. He even organized the supply closet the other day. Did you know we have, like a million yellow post-its? Seriously, the man loves office supplies. It is kind of worrying how excited he got over it.”

Genji laughed and shook his head, “Deep down, Hanzo is the worst kind of nerd. He is a deadly assassin that secretly wishes to be an accountant.”

The two fell into a familiar banter. Jesse felt elated, being able to talk about Hanzo in such a casual manner. Usually, he felt so guarded when speaking of the other man, carefully picking his words to make sure he did not let his feelings slip. As the hour passed, other agents began to fill into the cafeteria. Every time the door would open, Jesse would give a passing glance, still hoping to still catch sight of Hanzo.

“Oh man, he gave me a book to read,” Genji laughed. “He acts like I have read a book since graduating high school.” He reached into his side bag and pulled out a large book with a white cover. Jesse smirked, recognizing the one he saw Hanzo with. “It’s a fucking cowboy book. You corrupted him!”

Jesse let out a bark of laughter and picked up the book, flipping it over. “Well, you were the one who always said your brother had good taste.” He shrugged his shoulders and set the book down again. Jesse rested his foot on the back of the chair next to him and tipped his own chair back, balancing it on two legs. “Look, I gotta talk to you about something,” He tried to look relaxed. Calm.

“So,” Jesse licked his dry lips and rocked in the chair lightly. “You know how I have been friendly with your brother and all that, ye-AH!” Jesse must have tipped back a little too far. Suddenly, the back of the legs slipped under him and chair back dipped backward. Reflexes kicked in and he braced himself for impact against the ground...and waited

His fingers clutched hard at the chair, unbalanced and wavering, but still in the air. Jesse looked up into the amused face of Hanzo Shimada above him.

“What is this I hear of good taste?” His voice was smooth as he locked eyes with Jesse, a soft smirk on his lips. Hanzo’s strong arms were on either side of Jesse’s head, making it clear that his own strength was keeping the cowboy tilted. Jesse swallowed and felt a slight flush rise to his ears. Hanzo was not the playful type. Hanzo barely registered when people talked to him. Hanzo certainly did not stand over men and tease them.

Genji leaned forward, seemingly oblivious to this odd display. “Nothing much,” He answered with a shrug. “McCree there was just telling me about your new eclectic tastes. Apparently, you are into the rugged American west now?” Genji’s voice was full of mirth. Jesse saw Hanzo’s jaw hitch. He knew the comment was meant to be a playful dig at his brother, but somehow it instead fell as an insult on his personage.

“So what if I am, Brother,” Hanzo set Jesse upright, and in a fluid motion managed to lean across the table, looking absolutely predatory, like a panther set to strike. His dark eyes locking on Genji. He saw a quick flick of Genji’s eye from Hanzo’s to Jesse and back again.

Hanzo smirked at the silence that followed in the room. Jesse was now acutely aware that the whole dining room was listening in and watching the confrontation. Hanzo, in another motion, slipped into the chair next to Jesse and continued, as if nothing was amiss. “I received an email yesterday from someone named ‘Lollihops’ informing me on a new betting pool and asking me if I were still willing to contribute to the ante.” He spoke loudly, articulately. Jesse felt his ears burning and tried to not look around the room at the colleagues that were obviously enamored with the conversation now.

Genji sat back, his eyes downcast. “I can’t say I know what you are talking about,” he mumbled out.

“Hmm,” Hanzo raised an eyebrow and leaned into the table. He laced his fingers together comfortably in front of him. His eyes never left Genji. “You see, I was under the assumption that your friend was sending out a mass email to nearly every agent in the base. Except one. And it is my assumption that your friend, Lollihops, accidentally sent it to me. It is really a shame there are two Shimadas in this organization. And the letter G and H are settled right next to each other on the keyboard. I think I received your email.”

Genji pushed his chair back further. “Anija-”

Hanzo held up a hand, silencing his brother as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Slowly, he lowered his hand and turned his attention to Jesse. “So, Cowboy, it seems like your friends have been taking bets on you. And me. Well, us,” He turned the screen towards the other, showing Jesse the document in question. “Together.”

Jesse felt himself nod a few times as he let the information roll over him like a tidal wave. Hanzo was a private man. He hated being set apart from anyone. In one document though, it was proof that everyone already had him pegged. He could feel his heart beating in his chest. He was not sure what Hanzo would do, but he was sure it was not going to be pleasant. His eyes moved up, off the device in Hanzo’s hands to the younger Shimada. Genji’s dark eyes were focused on a point well beyond the both of them, purposely not focusing on Hanzo. It seemed like an eternity, watching the other and waiting for a response that would not come. Jesse dragged his eyes down, back to the device in Hanzo’s hand. 

His hand ghosted over, took the device and drew it up close. On the screen was a simple calendar. At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary, a detailed list of events that happened around the base. Movie nights, mission outings and training schedules. He looked at Hanzo and shrugged, not understand how this perfectly ordinary document could be scandalous.

Hanzo let out a dramatic sigh. “Look here, the first one. Movie night,” He reached over the cowboy and clicked into it. The document dropped open and brought up a more detailed view of the evening-Die Hard being shown; what positions people took when seating, blankets laid out, food being served. The name Wilhelm Reinhardt was placed on the bottom of the detail list, along with a note.

“McCree is not a man to take his time on things. He will make his move during the evening. We have already seen that they are compatible.” 

Jesse felt his ears heat up. In his mind, he traveled back all those weeks ago, trying to remember the details. Was he flirting with Hanzo then? He knew they hadn’t been together yet. No. That was much later. How did Reinhardt know?

He swiped back and clicked on another date. It was very similar. Some agent would take a date and state that would be the day the two of them would end up together. He swiped back and clicked another. Then another. Each one has a detailed list. Each one had another one of his friend’s names on it. Some contained notes, some did not. 

Jesse licked his suddenly dry lips, looking over at Genji. “What is all this?” He was mortified. 

“Isn’t it obvious? They have a wager,” Hanzo smiled and sat back, answering for his very silent brother. “They are betting on when we will get together. As a couple. Each person, it seems, contributed around...a hundred dollars. Isn’t that right, Genji?” 

Genji fidgeted with his hands. “It was Lucio’s idea,” he grumbled out. 

Jesse groaned and covered his face, slouching forward until his chin hit the table. He pulled the hat down, trying to hide his face. “Aw hell,” He grumbled through the leather, wishing to just melt into the metal table and disappear forever. 

This was it. It was done. He had nothing left. This was going to somehow be his fault, he could feel it. With the exception of Genji, his friends. 

Not Hanzo’s. His. 

Last night he witnessed something that Hanzo never wanted him to see. This morning, the archer refused to see him. Now, in the crowded cafeteria, where it seemed all sound had stopped, he had confronted his brother about gambling on the status of their relationship. 

Jesse pressed the hat further into his face. Maybe it would open a black hole and swallow him alive before he had to talk anymore. 

He heard the light sound of the metal chair legs against linoleum across from him. There were muffled voices coming from beyond his hat, speaking in Japanese. He could not discern what was being said at all. A strong hand snake its way across his shoulder and came to rest lightly between his shoulder blades. Jesse let out a deep sighed. “Hanzo, I swear I had no idea,” He said through the leather. 

“Genji left,” Hanzo’s voice was near his ear, it sounded calm. It scared Jesse.

“I had no idea,” He repeated. Maybe if he said it enough, with enough conviction, Hanzo would believe him. It was a fat chance though. Hanzo would never trust that he could keep his stupid mouth shut. Jesse was the one with the fat mouth. Jesse couldn’t stop talking about anything. Of course, Jesse spilled the beans.

“I know,” Hanzo said. 

Jesse dropped the hat a millimeter and peeked out at the stoic face of the archer. “You believe me?”

“Jesse,” Hanzo’s face relaxed, there was a softness to his eyes that Jesse rarely saw when outside the bedroom. His eyes were still red-rimmed and bagged, but his brandy colored eyes were the most dazzling thing still. “Of course you didn’t. This is too...simplistic for you. Why would you bet on us and then not collect the money?”

Jesse sat up further. He felt some of his confidence returning after hearing Hanzo speak. He replaced the hat back to the top of his head, but still keeping the brim low. “You never came back this morning.”

“No. I had to debrief the mission.” He said. “I had a meeting with Winston at eight.” The hand at Jesse’s back made slow, languished strokes. 

Jesse felt his shoulders drop as he leaned into the simple touches, “So you ain’t mad.”

“No, I am furious,” Hanzo nodded. Jesse was alert again, looking at the tired archer. “I am sleep deprived, overworked and now, apparently, the base’s primary form of entertainment. I am absolutely livid.” His hand moved forward and stroked at Jesse’s cheek, smoothing out his untamed beard under the pad of his thumb. “I got up late and had to train while sore. My stomach still has not recovered from last night. My ass hurts.”

Jesse deflated under Hanzo’s touch. “Honey Bee, I-”

“This morning, there is only one thing that I am not annoyed at, and that is you,” Hanzo’s hand scratched at his chin and beard. Jesse leaned into the capable hand. “McCree, you are the one thing that can grate on my every nerve but still I come back.” His long fingers trailed along his beard, manipulating Jesse, pulling him in closer, so he was looking right into the other man’s eyes.

He saw it coming, but it still surprised him. His eyes fluttered closed as Hanzo pulled him in, and closed the distance between them with a tender kiss. It was not passionate or earth shattering. Their lips lazily met and he felt the comfortable, familiarity of Hanzo in each small touch and he was suddenly tired.

Hanzo pulled back and left a final, tender kiss on the tip of his nose before sitting back. “I didn’t think it would embarrass you so. I only meant to make Genji uncomfortable. If it is any consolation for outing you in front of everyone, I did just manage to get us a thousand dollars.”

“What?” Jesse looked at Hanzo with hazy eyes. He did not care if there was anyone else in the world right now. 

“You said yesterday that you were my boyfriend,” Hanzo let out a sigh. “I am not calling you that. Boyfriend sound so juvenile.” He stroked a strand of whiskey colored hair behind Jesse’s ear. “But it got me thinking about that bet. I realized something, there were so many open days on this calendar and I just had to pick which one I wanted, and I could win the pot. This morning, I added my own money to the pot.” 

Jesse licked his lips and nodded. “So you bet on us.”

“Bet? No,” Hanzo chuckled a little. “Betting implies I would have no say in the outcome. I manipulated the results. Now, I am going to go over to them and demand our money.” A wolfish smile crossed Hanzo’s face. He leaned in and kissed Jesse again, quick and chaise. “Then I am taking you to a nice hotel for the next three days. Don’t pack. You won’t need clothes.” Hanzo stood up.

“So,” Jesse stood as well. He reached out and grabbed Hanzo’s arm, pulling him back. His arms curled around Hanzo’s back. “What you are sayin’ is I have permission to tell everyone that I am head over heels for ya?”

Hanzo’s eyes went wide. “Jesse, we are still-” 

Jesse did not wait for him to finish. In one swift motion, he pivoted and dipped Hanzo back before capturing the other’s lips in a dramatic kiss. He felt the arms going around his neck, pulling him in tighter and he knew. He was never going to let this man go. 

Everything was for him.


End file.
